Use of ethnic spices by adults in the United States: An exploratory study

Background: The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies has increase din the United States, but little is known about consumers’ perceptions of use of such therapies.The purpose of this study was to assess knowledge, perceptions, and predictors of spice use for health promotion...

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Main Authors: Jonathan Isbill, Jayanthi Kandiah, Jagdish Khubchandani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Tabriz University of Medical Sciences 2018-01-01
Series:Health Promotion Perspectives
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hpp.tbzmed.ac.ir/PDF/hpp-8-33.pdf
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spelling doaj-8adf1d197a254d659a3786bc9996bdd32020-11-25T00:39:55ZengTabriz University of Medical SciencesHealth Promotion Perspectives2228-64972018-01-0181334010.15171/hpp.2018.04hpp-19193Use of ethnic spices by adults in the United States: An exploratory studyJonathan Isbill0Jayanthi Kandiah1Jagdish Khubchandani2Honors College, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USAHonors College, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USAHonors College, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USABackground: The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies has increase din the United States, but little is known about consumers’ perceptions of use of such therapies.The purpose of this study was to assess knowledge, perceptions, and predictors of spice use for health promotion among adults in the Midwestern US.Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design, adults in the Midwestern US (n = 703) completed valid and reliable survey which was pilot tested with a small convenience sample of adults(n = 38). The study variables included demographic profile, spice use behavior, perceptions about efficacy of spices, and willingness to use spices. Data were analyzed using SPSS to compute descriptive (e.g. percent and frequencies) and inferential statistics (i.e. logistic regression analyses).Results: Almost half of the participants were interested in learning about health benefits of spices (48%), indicated friends and family members as sources of information on spices (50%),and were willing to use spices as CAM therapies (51%). Most (>50%) of the participants were familiar with or had used eight out of the 10 listed spices. The majority of participants (54%)were currently using one or more spices on a daily basis and believed that ginger (64%), garlic(58%), and cinnamon (56%) could promote good health and wellness. In logistic regression analysis, age, gender (odds ratios [OR] = 1.44 and OR = 1.56), income (OR = 1.77), health status(OR = 2.01), and recommendations from healthcare providers (OR = 5.31 and OR = 3.96) were significant predictors of current spice use and willingness to use spices.Conclusion: Individuals in our study did not use many ethnic spices and were unaware of potential health benefits of spices. Greater awareness of ethnic spices for disease prevention and health promotion are needed in this population.http://hpp.tbzmed.ac.ir/PDF/hpp-8-33.pdfConsumer BehaviorSpicesComplementary TherapiesDiet
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Jonathan Isbill
Jayanthi Kandiah
Jagdish Khubchandani
spellingShingle Jonathan Isbill
Jayanthi Kandiah
Jagdish Khubchandani
Use of ethnic spices by adults in the United States: An exploratory study
Health Promotion Perspectives
Consumer Behavior
Spices
Complementary Therapies
Diet
author_facet Jonathan Isbill
Jayanthi Kandiah
Jagdish Khubchandani
author_sort Jonathan Isbill
title Use of ethnic spices by adults in the United States: An exploratory study
title_short Use of ethnic spices by adults in the United States: An exploratory study
title_full Use of ethnic spices by adults in the United States: An exploratory study
title_fullStr Use of ethnic spices by adults in the United States: An exploratory study
title_full_unstemmed Use of ethnic spices by adults in the United States: An exploratory study
title_sort use of ethnic spices by adults in the united states: an exploratory study
publisher Tabriz University of Medical Sciences
series Health Promotion Perspectives
issn 2228-6497
publishDate 2018-01-01
description Background: The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies has increase din the United States, but little is known about consumers’ perceptions of use of such therapies.The purpose of this study was to assess knowledge, perceptions, and predictors of spice use for health promotion among adults in the Midwestern US.Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design, adults in the Midwestern US (n = 703) completed valid and reliable survey which was pilot tested with a small convenience sample of adults(n = 38). The study variables included demographic profile, spice use behavior, perceptions about efficacy of spices, and willingness to use spices. Data were analyzed using SPSS to compute descriptive (e.g. percent and frequencies) and inferential statistics (i.e. logistic regression analyses).Results: Almost half of the participants were interested in learning about health benefits of spices (48%), indicated friends and family members as sources of information on spices (50%),and were willing to use spices as CAM therapies (51%). Most (>50%) of the participants were familiar with or had used eight out of the 10 listed spices. The majority of participants (54%)were currently using one or more spices on a daily basis and believed that ginger (64%), garlic(58%), and cinnamon (56%) could promote good health and wellness. In logistic regression analysis, age, gender (odds ratios [OR] = 1.44 and OR = 1.56), income (OR = 1.77), health status(OR = 2.01), and recommendations from healthcare providers (OR = 5.31 and OR = 3.96) were significant predictors of current spice use and willingness to use spices.Conclusion: Individuals in our study did not use many ethnic spices and were unaware of potential health benefits of spices. Greater awareness of ethnic spices for disease prevention and health promotion are needed in this population.
topic Consumer Behavior
Spices
Complementary Therapies
Diet
url http://hpp.tbzmed.ac.ir/PDF/hpp-8-33.pdf
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AT jagdishkhubchandani useofethnicspicesbyadultsintheunitedstatesanexploratorystudy
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