Medication, adherence and its associated factors among Chinese community-dwelling older adults with hypertension

Objective: To investigate the factors that influence medication adherence in Chinese community-dwelling Older adults with hypertension. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenience sample of 382 older adults with hypertension recruited from six health centers in Macao, China. Chinese versions of the Morisky 4-Item Self-Report Measure of Medication-Taking Behavior, Fear of Intimacy with Helping Professionals scale and Exercise of Self-care Agency scale were administered to participants. Results: Participants older than 65 years (beta = .118, p = .017), with a low level of education (beta = .128, p = .01), who had more than one other common disease (beta = .120, p = .015), were on long-term medication (beta = .221, p < .001) and who reported higher self-care (beta = .188, p = .001), had better medication adherence. Conclusions: Health care professionals should consider these factors when planning medication regimens for Chinese older adults with hypertension, to enhance medication adherence and improve patient outcomes. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.