Use of Edible, Medicinal, and Aromatic Plants in Various Health Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Evaluation among Inhabitants in the Area of Thrace, North-Eastern Greece
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Design
2.2. Questionnaire Description
- Section of sociodemographic, economic, and lifestyle factors: This section included questions regarding the “residence” (rural setting: <2.000 inhabitant; semi-urban setting: 2.000–10.000 inhabitants and urban setting: >10.000 inhabitants, as defined by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (EL.STAT.) in the “Inventory of official national-level statistical definitions for rural/urban areas” by the International Labor Organization); “marital status” (single, married, in relationship/cohabitation, divorced and widowed); “education level” (primary school, gymnasium, lyceum, university, master’s degree, and doctoral); “personal income per year” (EUR < 10.000, EUR 10.000–25.000, EUR 25.000–40.000 and EUR > 40.000) (EL.STAT.); and “employment status” (unemployed, student, state employee, private employee, freelancer, part time job, farmer (as a special employment category), retired, and household). Lifestyle questions included: “smoking” (yes, no, yes occasionally, and have quit smoking for over 1, 2–5, 6–10, or 10 years); and “exercise” (never, occasionally but not frequently, frequently for less than 150 min per week, and frequently for more than 150 min per week).
- Section of use of aromatic and medicinal plants: This section included questions regarding the “frequency of consumption” of herbal beverages (never, <1 per month, 1–2 per month, 1–2 per week, 3–4 per week, >5 per week, or >2 per day); “often consumed herb” as beverage (a list of 18 common herbs was provided in addition to a free text option). The list included: chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile), green tea (Camellia sinensis), black tea (Camellia sinensis), mountain tea (Sideritis L.), mountain tea (local) (Sideritis L.), Tilia (Tilia L.), sage (Salvia officinalis), Melissa (Melissa officinalis), Aloysia (Aloysia Juss.), Valeriana (Valeriana officinalis), lavender (Lavandula L.), oregano (Origanum vulgare), rose (Rosa L.), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), Achillea (Achillea millefolium), Majorana (Origanum majorana L.), St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum), and common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale); and “reason for consumption” of herbal beverages (a list of 17 conditions, symptoms, and common health disorders, leading to the consumption of herbal beverages was provided in addition to a free text option. These reasons for consumption included: Common cold, flu, digestive disorders, improving renal function, insomnia/relaxing, as stimulant, as diuretic, blood sugar lowering, lipolysis, tachycardia, muscle pain, joint pain, gallstones, improving intestinal function, dysmenorrhea, pharyngitis, and cholesterol lowering).
- Section of dietary habits assessment: This section included questions regarding the “frequency of consumption” of seven food groups (fruits, vegetables, cereals, fish, milk and products, red meat, and wine) on a frequency scale (never, 1–2 times per month, 2–3 times per month, 1–2 times per week, 3–4 times per week, 4–5 times per week, and daily); “olive oil consumption” per week (never, <2 days, at least 2 days, at least 3 days, at least 5 days, and daily); “preference of local olive oil over commercial” (yes or no); “number of meals” per day (1–2, 3, 4, 5, and >5); and “frequency of alcohol consumption” per week (never, <1 time, 1–2 times, 3–4 times, or >4 times).
2.3. Data Collection and Screening
2.4. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Population Demographics
3.2. Use of MAPs
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Male: 226 (40.3%) | Female: 335 (59.7%) | Total: 561 (100%) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Age | Mean ± SD | 40.42 ± 11.26 | 39.23 ± 11.83 | 39.71 ± 11.61 |
Age groups | 18–24 | 17 (7.6%) | 35 (10.6%) | 52 (9.4%) |
25–35 | 57 (25.6%) | 103 (31.3%) | 160 (29.0%) | |
36–45 | 76 (34.1%) | 87 (26.4%) | 163 (29.5%) | |
46–55 | 49 (22.0%) | 79 (24.0%) | 128 (23.2%) | |
56–65 | 21 (9.4%) | 22 (6.7%) | 43 (7.8%) | |
>65 | 3 (1.3%) | 3 (0.9%) | 6 (1.1%) | |
Marital Status | Married | 114 (50.4%) | 173 (51.6%) | 287 (51.2%) |
Single | 73 (32.3%) | 83 (24.8%) | 156 (27.8%) | |
In a relationship/cohabitation | 23 (10.2%) | 57 (17.0%) | 80 (14.3%) | |
Divorced | 16 (7.1%) | 15 (4.5%) | 31 (5.5%) | |
In widowhood | 0 (0.0%) | 7 (2.1%) | 7 (1.2%) | |
Education | Primary/lower secondary school | 9 (3.9%) | 5 (1.5%) | 14 (2.5%) |
Upper secondary school | 66 (29.2%) | 90 (26.9%) | 156 (27.8%) | |
University graduate | 90 (39.8%) | 122 (36.4%) | 212 (37.7%) | |
Master’s degree | 49 (21.7%) | 91 (27.2%) | 140 (25.0%) | |
PhD degree | 12 (5.3%) | 27 (8.1%) | 39 (7.0%) | |
Employment | Unemployed | 8 (3.5%) | 35 (10.5%) | 43 (7.7%) |
Student | 18 (8.0%) | 37 (11.1%) | 55 (9.8%) | |
Private employee | 40 (17.7%) | 39 (11.7%) | 79 (14.1%) | |
State employee | 106 (46.9%) | 125 (37.4%) | 231 (41.3%) | |
Part time job | 6 (2.7%) | 22 (6.6%) | 28 (5.0%) | |
Freelancer | 34 (15.0%) | 46 (13.8%) | 80 (14.3%) | |
Farmer/Breeder | 6 (2.7%) | 9 (2.7%) | 15 (2.7%) | |
Retired/Household | 8 (3.5%) | 21 (6.3%) | 29 (5.2%) | |
Family Income | <10,000 | 42 (18.9%) | 91 (28.4%) | 133 (24.5%) |
10,000–25,000 | 122 (55.0%) | 163 (50.9%) | 285 (52.6%) | |
25,000–40,000 | 52 (23.4%) | 59 (18.4%) | 111 (20.5%) | |
>40,000 | 6 (2.7%) | 7 (2.2%) | 13 (2.4%) | |
Smoking Status | No | 106 (46.9%) | 192 (57.3%) | 298 (53.1%) |
Yes | 76 (33.6%) | 87 (26.0%) | 163 (29.1%) | |
Yes, occasionally | 19 (8.4%) | 25 (7.5%) | 44 (7.8%) | |
Quit for 1–5 years | 5 (2.2%) | 13 (3.9%) | 18 (3.2%) | |
Quit for >6 years | 20 (8.8%) | 18 (5.4%) | 38 (6.8%) | |
Alcohol Consumption | Never | 45 (19.9%) | 81 (24.2%) | 126 (22.5%) |
<1 time/week | 96 (42.5%) | 165 (49.3%) | 261 (46.5%) | |
1–2 times/week | 54 (23.9%) | 73 (21.8%) | 127 (22.6%) | |
3–4 times/week | 25 (11.1%) | 11 (3.3%) | 36 (6.4%) | |
> 4 times/week | 6 (2.7%) | 5 (1.5%) | 11 (2.0%) | |
Exercise | Never | 33 (14.6%) | 57 (17.0%) | 90 (16.0%) |
Occasionally but not often | 96 (42.5%) | 136 (40.6%) | 232 (41.4%) | |
Regularly, <150 min/week | 51 (22.6%) | 78 (23.3%) | 129 (23.0%) | |
Regularly, >150 min/week | 46 (20.4%) | 64 (19.1%) | 110 (19.6%) | |
BMI | Mean ± SD | 27.41 ± 4.04 | 25.97 ± 5.61 | 26.55 ± 5.09 |
BMI Groups | <18.5 | 0 (0.0%) | 6 (1.8%) | 6 (1.1%) |
18.5–24.9 | 75 (33.8%) | 164 (49.8%) | 239 (43.4%) | |
25–29.9 | 91 (41.0%) | 90 (27.4%) | 181 (32.8%) | |
30–34.9 | 50 (22.5%) | 48 (14.6%) | 98 (17.8%) | |
>35 | 6 (2.7%) | 21 (6.4%) | 27 (4.9%) |
Common Use of MAPs, N (%) | Therapeutic Use of MAPs, N (%) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Sex | Male | 208 (38.4%) | 162 (39.6%) |
Female | 333 (61.6%) | 247 (60.4%) | |
Age groups | 18–24 | 49 (9.2%) | 40 (10.0%) |
25–35 | 156 (29.3%) | 115 (28.7%) | |
36–45 | 154 (28.9%) | 120 (29.9%) | |
46–55 | 125 (23.5%) | 90 (22.4%) | |
56–65 | 42 (7.9%) | 30 (7.5%) | |
>65 | 6 (1.1%) | 6 (1.5%) | |
Single (1) | No | 278 (65.3%) | 215 (64.8%) |
Yes | 148 (34.7%) | 117 (35.2%) | |
High education(2) | No | 160 (29.6%) | 129 (31.5%) |
Yes | 381 (70.4%) | 280 (68.5%) | |
Employment (3) | No | 72 (14.8%) | 61 (16.8%) |
Yes | 416 (85.2%) | 303 (83.2%) | |
Medium to high income and above (4) | No | 402 (77.0%) | 302 (76.8%) |
Yes | 120 (23.0%) | 91 (23.2%) |
Main MAPs Used | Positive Responses N (%) * | Main Causes of Use | Positive Responses N (%) * |
---|---|---|---|
Chamomile | 301 (53.7) | Common cold | 265 (47.2) |
Green tea | 239 (42.6) | Flu | 98 (17.5) |
Black tea | 211 (37.6) | Insomnia/as a relaxant | 90 (16.0) |
Mountain tea (local) | 167 (29.8) | Digestive disorders | 66 (11.8) |
Aloysia | 102 (18.2) | As a stimulant | 66 (11.8) |
Common sage | 96 (17.1) | Sore throat/pharyngitis | 65 (11.6) |
Tilia (linden tea) | 75 (13.4) | For lipolysis | 45 (8.0) |
Melissa | 71 (12.7) | Intestinal function | 35 (6.2) |
Other | 71 (12.7) | For detoxification | 31 (5.5) |
Mountain tea | 62 (11.1) | As a diuretic | 21 (3.7) |
Common Use of MAPs | Therapeutic Use of MAPs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Male N (%) | Female N (%) | Male N (%) | Female N (%) | ||
Fruit | No | 147 (70.7%) | 210 (63.1%) | 121 (74.7%) | 157 (63.6%) |
Yes | 61 (29.3%) | 123 (36.9%) | 41 (25.3%) | 90 (36.4%) | |
Vegetables | No | 157 (75.5%) | 213 (64.4%) | 127 (78.4%) | 163 (66.5%) |
Yes | 51 (24.5%) | 118 (35.6%) | 35 (21.6%) | 82 (33.5%) | |
Cereals | No | 133 (64.3%) | 200 (60.2%) | 99 (61.5%) | 150 (61.0%) |
Yes | 74 (35.7%) | 132 (39.8%) | 62 (38.5%) | 96 (39.0%) | |
Red meat | No | 23 (11.1%) | 20 (6.0%) | 16 (9.9%) | 12 (4.9%) |
Yes | 185 (88.9%) | 312 (94.0%) | 146 (90.1%) | 234 (95.1%) | |
Fish | No | 113 (54.3%) | 184 (55.8%) | 87 (53.7%) | 138 (56.3%) |
Yes | 95 (45.7%) | 146 (44.2%) | 75 (46.3%) | 107 (43.7%) | |
Milk | No | 107 (51.4%) | 164 (49.4%) | 88 (54.3%) | 118 (48.0%) |
Yes | 101 (48.6%) | 168 (50.6%) | 74 (45.7%) | 128 (52.0%) | |
Wine | No | 4 (1.9%) | 2 (0.6%) | 2 (1.2%) | 2 (0.8%) |
Yes | 203 (98.1%) | 328 (99.4%) | 159 (98.8%) | 242 (99.2%) | |
Olive oil | No | 145 (69.7%) | 232 (69.7%) | 117 (72.2%) | 170 (68.8%) |
Yes | 63 (30.3%) | 101 (30.3%) | 45 (27.8%) | 77 (31.2%) |
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Deligiannidou, G.-E.; Kyrgou, C.; Nena, E.; Manolopoulos, V.G.; Bezirtzoglou, E.; Kontogiorgis, C.A.; Constantinidis, T.C. Use of Edible, Medicinal, and Aromatic Plants in Various Health Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Evaluation among Inhabitants in the Area of Thrace, North-Eastern Greece. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 12576. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912576
Deligiannidou G-E, Kyrgou C, Nena E, Manolopoulos VG, Bezirtzoglou E, Kontogiorgis CA, Constantinidis TC. Use of Edible, Medicinal, and Aromatic Plants in Various Health Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Evaluation among Inhabitants in the Area of Thrace, North-Eastern Greece. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(19):12576. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912576
Chicago/Turabian StyleDeligiannidou, Georgia-Eirini, Chrysoula Kyrgou, Evangelia Nena, Vangelis G. Manolopoulos, Eugenia Bezirtzoglou, Christos A. Kontogiorgis, and Theodoros C. Constantinidis. 2022. "Use of Edible, Medicinal, and Aromatic Plants in Various Health Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Evaluation among Inhabitants in the Area of Thrace, North-Eastern Greece" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 19: 12576. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912576