Insights into knowledge, attitudes, and practices of medicinal plant use in the United Arab Emirates: a cross-sectional study

TL;DR

This study explores how people in the UAE use and perceive medicinal plants, finding that knowledge and practices are positively linked and influenced by age, gender, and education.

Contribution

The study provides novel insights into the sociodemographic influences on knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward medicinal plant use in the UAE.

Findings

75% of respondents scored above the midpoint in knowledge about medicinal plants.

Knowledge and practice strongly predict attitude (R² = 0.631).

Regular herbal medicine users had significantly higher KAP scores (p < 0.001).

Abstract

The use of medicinal plants remains an important component of traditional and complementary medicine in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, comprehensive studies evaluating public knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding herbal medicine are limited. This study aims to evaluate KAP toward medicinal plant use in the UAE and examine the influence of sociodemographic factors.

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 418 participants. The reliability and validity of the KAP questionnaire were evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha (α = 0.870) and split-half reliability (0.794). Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression models were employed to analyze the data. The Kruskal–Wallis test was applied to assess differences across sociodemographic groups.

The majority of respondents (75%) had knowledge scores above the scale midpoint (>2.5 on a 4-point Likert scale), with higher scores among males (p < 0.001) and middle-aged individuals (25–54 years). Positive correlations were observed between knowledge and attitude (r = 0.659, p < 0.001), knowledge and practice (r = 0.501, p < 0.001), and attitude and practice (r = 0.691, p < 0.001). Regression analysis indicated that knowledge and practice significantly predicted attitude (R2 = 0.631, p < 0.001). Regular herbal medicine users had significantly higher KAP scores (p < 0.001), with the strongest effect observed in the practice domain (η2 = 0.148).

The UAE population demonstrates generally positive knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward medicinal plants, influenced by age, gender, education, and usage frequency. These findings highlight the importance of targeted public health education to promote the safe and evidence-based use of herbal medicine. Ethical approval was obtained from the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) Social Sciences Ethics Committee (Research No: ERSC_2025_5931; approved on 01/03/2025).

Infographic about medicinal plant use in the UAE shows sections on background, methods, results, and conclusions. Key findings include that 75 percent scored above neutral in knowledge, males and middle-aged had higher knowledge scores, regular users had higher KAP scores, and lower education was linked to higher knowledge. Conclusion states age, gender, education, and use frequency shape knowledge, attitudes, and practices, highlighting the need for targeted public health education. Illustrations include a mortar and pestle, checklist, circular KAP diagram, profile, bar chart, book, and megaphone.

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