| 摘要: | 背景與目的：防疫措施除了遵守戴口罩、維持安全社交距離以及尋求正統醫療外，大眾也積極尋求輔助療法(例如芳香療法)來幫助自己維持身心安適。而關於在COVID-19疫情期間，民眾使用芳香療法的相關因子尚未有研究討論。 材料與方法：本研究採橫斷式調查，以網路匿名問卷進行，收案對象為年滿20歲至64歲之成年人。問卷內容包含受訪者的基本資料、對COVID-19的風險認知以及疫情之前和疫情期間的芳香療法使用情況。進行邏輯回歸分析以了解芳香療法使用的相關因子。 結果：共回收有效問卷502份，受訪者的COVID-19感染情況，曾經確診者有216人(43%)，家人及親友曾經確診者有395人(78.7%)，61.4% (n = 308)的受訪者在疫情期間有使用精油，其中疫情之前有使用經驗者有90.6% (n = 279)在疫情期間會持續使用。疫情之前使用精油的原因以緩解情緒為最多(87.4%)、疫情期間則以提高免疫力(65.6%)與降低感染的機會(64.3%)二項居多，這也反應在精油品項的選擇，疫情前較常被使用的是薰衣草、檸檬、甜橙及佛手柑精油，疫情期間則是茶樹、澳洲尤加利、月桂、綠花白千層以及羅文莎葉精油，這些精油對於預防或改善呼吸系統、抗菌以及提高免疫力均有幫助。常使用的方式為擴香嗅吸，疫情前使用的頻率為每天二到四次為主，疫情期間相同使用頻率的人次有增加趨勢。疫情期間使用精油的相關因子是女性及之前有使用精油的經驗；確診與否與使用精油沒有顯著差異。有使用精油的受訪者其風險認知平均數較低，推測與個人對芳香療法可促進健康之信念有關。 結論：本研究提供有關於COVID-19疫情期間民眾使用芳香療法相關因子的信息，以供相關單位日後應用芳香療法於流行病學之參考。
Background and Purpose: In addition to wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing, and seeking conventional medical care, the public also actively seeks complementary therapies, such as aromatherapy, to help them maintain their physical and mental well-being. There has been no research conducted to investigate the factors associated with aromatherapy and its use as a treatment for COVID-19. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted cross-sectionally using an online questionnaire. Participants were between the ages of 20 and 64. The survey collected the following information: sociodemographic characteristics, risk perception of COVID-19, and the use of aromatherapy before and during the pandemic. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to understand the effect of the factors associated with aromatherapy. Results: In total, 502 valid responses were analyzed. 216 (43%) participants reported to have had a positive COVID-19 test result. In addition, the family members of 395 (78.7%) participants have had a positive test result for COVID-19. Furthermore, 61.4% (n = 308) of the participants reported using essential oils during the pandemic. Among them, 90.6% (n = 279) of those who had experience in using it before the epidemic will continue to use it during the epidemic. Before the pandemic, the participants primarily used essential oils to improve their mood (87.4%). However, during the pandemic, the focus shifted toward using essential oils to strengthen the immune system (65.6%) and reduce the risk of infection (64.3%). This change in focus is also reflected in the choice of essential oil. Prior to the pandemic, Lavender True, Lemon, Sweet Orange, and Bergamot essential oils were more commonly used. However, during the pandemic, essential oils such as Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Laurel, Niaouli, and Ravensara were used. These oils are helpful in preventing or improving respiratory issues, countering infections, and boosting the immune system. The most common method of using the essential oils was through a diffuser. Before the pandemic, the frequency of using essential oil was mainly two to four times a day. However, during the pandemic, the number of participants using essential oil at the same frequency increased. The factors associated with the use of essential oils during the pandemic were gender and prior experience with essential oils. There was no significant difference between testing positive for COVID-19 and the use of essential oils. Respondents who used essential oils had lower average risk perceptions, presumably related to personal beliefs that aromatherapy can promote health. Conclusion: This study provides information on the use of aromatherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be used for future reference in epidemiology. |
