The status quo and influencing factors of the utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) health services among older adults in China: a nationwide cross-sectional study.
9 affiliations
- 1Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430060, China.
- 2Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430065, China.
- 3Hubei Key Laboratory of theory and application research of liver and kidney in Traditional Chinese medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430061, China.
- 4Hubei Shizhen Laboratory, Wuhan, 430065, China.
- 5Hubei Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430061, China.
- 6Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430060, China. [email protected].
- 7Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430065, China. [email protected].
- 8Hubei Shizhen Laboratory, Wuhan, 430065, China. [email protected].
- 9Department of Clinical Nursing Teaching and Research, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, China. [email protected].
Abstract
Background
With the proposal of active aging and healthy aging, the elderly population's demand for health services is increasing. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), known for its simplicity, low cost, and proven effectiveness, has become a strategic option for addressing elderly health needs and reducing disease burden.Methods
Data were drawn from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), covering 28 provinces and 450 communities. Descriptive analysis was used to report sociodemographic characteristics and health status. To identify the factors influencing the utilization of TCM health services among older adults, we first conducted χ² analysis to examine associations between categorical variables, followed by binary logistic regression to determine significant predictors.Results
A total of 5,950 participants were included in the analysis. This study found that the utilization of TCM health services among older adults remains relatively low. The average number of times utilized TCM health services was 0.46 ± 1.03. Logistic regression analysis showed that the utilization of TCM health services among older adults was significantly influenced by predisposing factors (age and no alcohol consumption), enabling factors (supplementary medical insurance), and need factors (depression, multimorbidity, and self-assessed health status).Conclusions
The utilization of TCM health services among older Chinese adults remains low and limited in scope. Future research should focus on expanding access, optimizing the allocation of TCM resources, training professionals, and promoting innovative research to better serve an aging population.
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BibTeX
@article{qiu2026status,
title = {{The status quo and influencing factors of the utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) health services among older adults in China: a nationwide cross-sectional study.}},
author = {Yu-Fei Qiu and Jia-Ying Fu and Xiao-Hong Zhang and Jia-Li Liu and Ya-Ke Yue and Juan Gu and Meng-Jie Tong and Fen Yang and Chun-Yan Bai},
journal = {BMC complementary medicine and therapies},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12906-026-05483-3},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42928260},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The status quo and influencing factors of the utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) health services among older adults in China: a nationwide cross-sectional study.
AU - Yu-Fei Qiu
AU - Jia-Ying Fu
AU - Xiao-Hong Zhang
AU - Jia-Li Liu
AU - Ya-Ke Yue
AU - Juan Gu
AU - Meng-Jie Tong
AU - Fen Yang
AU - Chun-Yan Bai
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/27
JO - BMC complementary medicine and therapies
DO - 10.1186/s12906-026-05483-3
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42928260
AB - Background With the proposal of active aging and healthy aging, the elderly population's demand for health services is increasing. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), known for its simplicity, low cost, and proven effectiveness, has become a strategic option for addressing elderly health needs and reducing disease burden.Methods Data were drawn from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), covering 28 provinces and 450 communities. Descriptive analysis was used to report sociodemographic characteristics and health status. To identify the factors influencing the utilization of TCM health services among older adults, we first conducted χ² analysis to examine associations between categorical variables, followed by binary logistic regression to determine significant predictors.Results A total of 5,950 participants were included in the analysis. This study found that the utilization of TCM health services among older adults remains relatively low. The average number of times utilized TCM health services was 0.46 ± 1.03. Logistic regression analysis showed that the utilization of TCM health services among older adults was significantly influenced by predisposing factors (age and no alcohol consumption), enabling factors (supplementary medical insurance), and need factors (depression, multimorbidity, and self-assessed health status).Conclusions The utilization of TCM health services among older Chinese adults remains low and limited in scope. Future research should focus on expanding access, optimizing the allocation of TCM resources, training professionals, and promoting innovative research to better serve an aging population.
SN - 2662-7671
ER -