title: Preventive medication adherence in African American and Caucasian headache patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine race-related differences in adherence to preventive medication agents in headache patients and identify factors predictive of medication adherence in Caucasian and African American headache patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a longitudinal naturalistic study design, data from 77 Caucasian and 32 African American headache patients were collected through (1) 30-day daily diaries that assessed medication adherence, headache frequency, and headache episode severity; (2) self-administered surveys that assessed headache management self-efficacy; and (3) telephone-administered psychiatric interviews that yielded psychiatric diagnoses. Using daily diary adherence data, patients' adherence to preventive agents was dichotomized as "Inconsistent" (ie, adhered fewer than 80% of days) or "Consistent" (ie, adhered ≥ 80% of days during the past month).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportion of adherent African American patients (69%) did not differ significantly from the proportion of adherent Caucasian patients (82%). Exploratory univariate logistic regression analyses found that preventive medication adherence levels of 80% or less were associated with being diagnosed with major depressive disorder and lower levels of headache management self-efficacy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Future research should test if interventions that reduce depressive symptoms and increase patients' levels of headache management self-efficacy can produce concomitant increases in adherence to preventive headache agents.
authors: Department of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA.
authors: Bernadette D
authors: BD
authors: Heckman
authors: Gary
authors: G
authors: Ellis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D020773:Headache Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D044465:White People / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic