Herbal or conventional medicine? A cross-sectional study of Jordanian university students’ preferences for cold and flu treatment
- 1Department of Pediatrics, Family Medicine, and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan
- 2Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan
Abstract
Background: University students frequently self-manage common cold and influenza symptoms using herbal remedies, pharmaceutical treatments, or both. However, evidence regarding treatment preferences among Jordanian university students remains limited. Objective: To assess treatment preferences and factors associated with four outcomes: first-line treatment choice, timing of treatment initiation, response to perceived herbal treatment failure, and medication-obtaining behavior. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in Jordan among 1,797 undergraduate students from 16 April to 16 September 2025 using a confidential, de-identified Arabic online questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression were used to evaluate the four outcomes. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported. Results: Combined therapy was the most common first-line choice (44.5%), and 42.5% initiated treatment on the same day. Female participants had higher odds of preferring combined therapy than males (aOR = 2.55, 95% CI: 1.64–3.96; p < 0.001), whereas medical-field students had lower odds of same-day treatment initiation (aOR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.42–0.72; p < 0.001). After perceived herbal treatment failure, 50.7% switched to pharmaceutical treatments; reliance on doctor-prescribed treatments was associated with lower odds of continuing herbal remedies (aOR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.27–0.51; p < 0.001) or combining herbal and pharmaceutical treatments (aOR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.45–0.70; p < 0.001). Regarding medication-obtaining behavior, 28.2% purchased pharmaceutical treatments without a prescription based on personal experience, and medical-field students had higher odds of this behavior (aOR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.39–2.23; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Treatment decisions reflected frequent combined self-care and were associated with sex, field of study, symptoms, prescription-related behavior, and treatment beliefs. Targeted health education may support more informed and rational self-care among university students.
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BibTeX
@article{almagableh2026herbal,
title = {{Herbal or conventional medicine? A cross-sectional study of Jordanian university students’ preferences for cold and flu treatment}},
author = {Mohammad Al-magableh and Abdulrhman H.M. Muhaisen and Rama M. Ateir and Shatha A. Abu_Eraq and Hanan O. Hamed and Sama M. Al Atoum and Reem Bani Amer and Soha S. AlShirah},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0358179},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358179},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Herbal or conventional medicine? A cross-sectional study of Jordanian university students’ preferences for cold and flu treatment
AU - Mohammad Al-magableh
AU - Abdulrhman H.M. Muhaisen
AU - Rama M. Ateir
AU - Shatha A. Abu_Eraq
AU - Hanan O. Hamed
AU - Sama M. Al Atoum
AU - Reem Bani Amer
AU - Soha S. AlShirah
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/15
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0358179
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358179
AB - Background: University students frequently self-manage common cold and influenza symptoms using herbal remedies, pharmaceutical treatments, or both. However, evidence regarding treatment preferences among Jordanian university students remains limited. Objective: To assess treatment preferences and factors associated with four outcomes: first-line treatment choice, timing of treatment initiation, response to perceived herbal treatment failure, and medication-obtaining behavior. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in Jordan among 1,797 undergraduate students from 16 April to 16 September 2025 using a confidential, de-identified Arabic online questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression were used to evaluate the four outcomes. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported. Results: Combined therapy was the most common first-line choice (44.5%), and 42.5% initiated treatment on the same day. Female participants had higher odds of preferring combined therapy than males (aOR = 2.55, 95% CI: 1.64–3.96; p < 0.001), whereas medical-field students had lower odds of same-day treatment initiation (aOR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.42–0.72; p < 0.001). After perceived herbal treatment failure, 50.7% switched to pharmaceutical treatments; reliance on doctor-prescribed treatments was associated with lower odds of continuing herbal remedies (aOR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.27–0.51; p < 0.001) or combining herbal and pharmaceutical treatments (aOR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.45–0.70; p < 0.001). Regarding medication-obtaining behavior, 28.2% purchased pharmaceutical treatments without a prescription based on personal experience, and medical-field students had higher odds of this behavior (aOR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.39–2.23; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Treatment decisions reflected frequent combined self-care and were associated with sex, field of study, symptoms, prescription-related behavior, and treatment beliefs. Targeted health education may support more informed and rational self-care among university students.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -