Volume 25, Issue 112, June 2021

Prevalence, perception, and habits of mothers to use of anise tea for infantile colic in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia

Hind Ghali AL-Anazi¹, Almas Al-Mutiri²

¹Resident family medicine physician, Saudi Board of Family Medicine, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
²Consultant Family Medicine, Saudi Board of Family Medicine, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

Background: Star anise has been used as an herbal tea to treat colicky pain in infants. Tea is a prominent part of Arab culture, and anise tea is being commonly used for infantile colic (IC). Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in primary health care in Riyadh to assess mothers' prevalence, perception, and habits to use of anise tea in infants for treatment of IC in Saudi Arabia. Data was collected using a predesigned questionnaire. Results: A total of 163 children and their mothers were included in this study. 43.6% suffered from cramps and abdominal pain frequently, 41.1% sometimes had cramps and abdominal pain, and 15.3% did not suffer from this condition. The child's age (P=0.035), the marital status of the mother (P=0.003), and the reasons for giving Anise tea for colic pain (P=0.012) were significantly associated with the frequency of giving Anise tea. Conclusion: We demonstrated a relatively high prevalence of IC in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. However, low levels of knowledge regarding IC and Anise tea were reported among the Saudi mothers. The majority of the mothers used Anise tea for IC, and only a few mothers visited the doctor for the same reason. Most of the mothers did not notice any side effects of Anise tea.

Keywords: Infantile colic, herbal tea, star anise, prevalence and habits

Medical Science, 2021, 25(112), 1458-1468

PDF