A cross-sectional study on associated factors of Chinese herbal medicine use in middle-aged and older adults with dyslipidaemia.

The efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in treating dyslipidaemia has been demonstrated. However, the prevalence of CHM treatment and factors influencing its use in middle-aged and older patients with dyslipidaemia in China remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and contributing factors of CHM use among middle-aged and older Chinese patients with dyslipidaemia. The data analyzed in this study were extracted from the fourth wave (2018) of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Information on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, health service use, health status, and history of CHM use was obtained. A logistic regression model was used to identify the key factors (demographics, health service use, and health status) that predict CHM use in the treatment of dyslipidaemia. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 4341 participants (middle-aged adults, 56.46%; older adults, 42.36%; males, 45.06%; females, 54.94%) with dyslipidaemia were included, and the prevalence of CHM use for dyslipidaemia was 14.08%. A logistic regression analysis revealed that compared with participants who did not use CHM, those who used CHM were more likely to have no income (OR 1.33; 95% CI 1.02, 1.74), visit traditional Chinese medicine hospitals (OR 2.85; 95% CI 1.71, 4.74), engage in self-treatment (OR 1.70; 95% CI 1.35, 2.13), report fair or poor health status (fair, OR 1.60; 95% CI 1.13, 2.26; poor, OR 1.99; 95% CI 1.36, 2.86), and a higher modified Chinese multimorbidity-weighted index (OR 1.06; 95% CI 1.03, 1.10). In the joint effect analysis, patients who visited a Chinese medicine hospital and had a stroke were more likely to use CHM (OR 6.90; 95% CI 2.08, 22.88) than those who did not visit a Chinese medicine hospital and did not have a stroke. In this study, the prevalence of CHM use was 14.08% among middle-aged and older patients with dyslipidaemia and was correlated with demographic factors, multimorbidity, and health service preferences in China. These findings suggest the need to integrate patient-specific factors into CHM-based dyslipidaemia management strategies.