A Comparative Study of Knowledge of People at Risk of Gastrointestinal Diseases Breathe with Thai Traditional Medicine and Modern Medicine

Abstract

            This research was a survey aimed at assessing the knowledge of people at risk of respiratory disease in Thai traditional medicine and modern medicine, and to compare knowledge in Thai traditional medicine and modern medicine among 105 people using an online questionnaire. The statistics used for data analysis were amount, percentage, and content analysis.

            The results of the research showed that 65.7 percent were female and age between 31-40 years old, 77.2 percent graduated with a bachelor's degree, 35.3 percent were employees of the company, 92.4 percent knew about the function of the respiratory system and self-protection from respiratory disease in modern medicine. As for the knowledge of Thai traditional medicine, it was found that 88.6 percent were aware of single herbal medicines that could be used in health care in respiratory diseases, followed by 65.7 percent who were aware of the four elements in the human body according to Thai traditional medicine. The results from the comparison of knowledge in Thai traditional medicine with modern medicine indicate that most of the promotion and educational materials focus on single herbs. However, knowledge about the mechanisms of disease development, disease symptoms, and the use of herbal medicine in the form of formulations is still greatly lacking.