The journal of alternative and complementary medicine : research on paradigm, practice, and policy
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J Altern Complement Med · Apr 2007
Use of traditional chinese medicine in the Hong Kong special administrative region of China.
The role of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as a part of the Hong Kong health care system was not formally recognized until the handover of the city's sovereignty from the United Kingdom to mainland China in 1997. Population-representative data collected in a Thematic Household Survey (THS) in 2002 provided the first large-scale, cross-sectional study of utilization of TCM after 1997. ⋯ Compared to the pre-1997 studies, the THS of 2002 made three novel findings. First, respondents of higher socioeconomic class emerged as a new class of TCM users. Second, there was a low rate of TCM utilization among institutionalized elderly persons. Lastly, older respondents were less like to be covered by TCM insurance. This paper discusses the issues raised by the THS of 2002 and suggests areas for future research, including a better understanding of TCM accessibility among the elderly and possible financing opportunities for community TCM services.