Predictors of willingness to accept traditional Chinese medicine among Chinese college students: a cross-sectional study

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a popular traditional medicine in China and neighboring countries. Existing studies have shown an increasing number of people using TCM over time, yet data on its use among college students remains scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of willingness to use TCM among Chinese college students and its independent predictors. A cross-sectional study was conducted between April 2022 and June 2023 at Chinese universities. According to previous relevant literature, a self-report questionnaire was developed, which included sociodemographic characteristics of participants, attitudes toward and acceptance of TCM. Univariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression were utilized to assess independent predictors influencing the potential acceptance of TCM. A total of 1103 college students completed the questionnaire, and 83.95% of them indicated that they were willing to use TCM. The most popular TCM therapies among participants were Chinese herbal medicine (59.61%), Chinese patent medicine (55.72%), Qigong (32.72%), moxibustion (25.38%), and massage (23.43%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the age between 20 and 23 years old (OR = 1.675, 95% CI: 1.093–2.566, P = 0.018 vs. less than 20 years old), the age over 23 years old (OR = 2.814, 95% CI: 1.518–5.218, P = 0.001 vs. less than 20 years old), Living in urban areas (OR = 1.936, 95% CI: 1.327–2.826, P = 0.001 vs. rural areas), willingness to introduce TCM to family and friends (OR = 2.742, 95% CI: 1.464–5.136, P = 0.002 vs. unwillingness), and willingness to use both TCM and mainstream medicine (OR = 3.941, 95% CI: 2.030–7.651, P < 0.001 vs. unwillingness) were independent predictors for participants’ acceptance of TCM. Our research indicated that Chinese college students have a high willingness to accept TCM. We recommend further promotion of TCM, the introduction of TCM courses, enabling more students to reap its benefits.