Pediatricians’ views and attitudes toward phytotherapy: a cross-sectional survey study

Background

Although interest in herbal products and complementary medicine practices in pediatric patients has increased, pediatricians’ attitudes toward phytotherapy and the factors associated with these attitudes remain insufficiently defined. This study aimed to assess the attitudes of physicians working in pediatrics in Türkiye toward phytotherapy using a structured attitude scale and to identify demographic, professional, educational, and clinical factors associated with these attitudes.

Methods

This cross-sectional survey study included 206 physicians practicing in pediatric care in Türkiye. Participants were invited through professional communication networks and online platforms using convenience sampling. Attitudes toward phytotherapy were assessed using a modified 22-item version of the Attitude Scale for Phytotherapy Practices. Internal consistency and exploratory dimensionality were assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and exploratory factor analysis. Factors associated with the total phytotherapy attitude score were examined using multivariable linear regression analysis.

Results

Of the participants, 144 were female (69.9%), and the largest age group was 30–40 years (42.7%). Only 5.3% of participants had a phytotherapy certificate, whereas 66.0% reported a desire to receive education on phytotherapy. The mean total phytotherapy attitude score was 75.99 ± 16.79. The modified 22-item version showed high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.966), and exploratory factor analysis supported a dominant general factor structure. In multivariable regression analysis, possession of a phytotherapy certificate (B = 7.99; 95% CI: 1.76–14.23; p = 0.012), desire for phytotherapy education (B = 14.60; 95% CI: 10.58–18.62; p < 0.001), and frequency of phytotherapy use for oneself or close relatives (B = 5.05; 95% CI: 2.94–7.17; p < 0.001) were independently associated with higher phytotherapy attitude scores. The adjusted model explained 55.4% of the variance in attitude scores.

Conclusions

Pediatricians’ attitudes toward phytotherapy were associated mainly with educational interest, certification status, and experiential familiarity rather than demographic or professional characteristics alone. The findings highlight substantial interest in structured phytotherapy education despite limited formal certification and support the integration of evidence-based, safety-oriented, and clinically oriented phytotherapy content into pediatric education.

CI:

Confidence interval

HC3:

Heteroscedasticity-consistent covariance estimator type 3

IQR:

Interquartile range

SD:

Standard deviation

STROBE:

Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology

VIF:

Variance inflation factor

The authors thank all pediatricians who participated in the study.

Use of artificial intelligence tools

During the preparation of this manuscript, artificial intelligence-based tools were used only for language editing, clarity improvement, and manuscript formatting support. The authors reviewed and edited all AI-assisted outputs and take full responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and final content of the manuscript.

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Authors and Affiliations

1. Department of Pediatrics, University of Health Sciences, Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital, Istanbul, Türkiye, Turkey

   Nevin Cambaz Kurt

2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Health Sciences, Ankara Etlik City Hospital, Ankara, Türkiye, Turkey

   Deniz Güven

3. Department of Pediatrics, Van Private Akdamar Hospital, Van, Türkiye, Turkey

   Cihat Erol

4. Department of Pediatrics, İzmir Faculty of Medicine, University of Health Sciences, Dr. Behçet Uz Training and Research Hospital, İzmir, Türkiye, Turkey

   Murat Güzel

5. Department of Artificial Intelligence Engineering, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, Türkiye, Turkey

   Binnur Kurt

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nevin Cambaz Kurt.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was approved by the Van Training and Research Hospital Clinical Research Ethics Committee (No: 2025-07/11, date: 10.09.2025). Electronic informed consent was obtained from all participants before the survey. The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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