title: Predictors of adherence to medication in older Korean patients with hypertension.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Adherence to a medication regimen is a major factor in achieving adequate blood pressure control for hypertensive patients. However, older adults often report having missed doses, which they attribute to forgetfulness. The purpose of this study was to identify significant factors, including socioeconomic variables, hypertension history, and cognitive functions, contributing to medication adherence among older Korean adults with hypertension.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study involved 241 older patients with hypertension from a community senior center during the period from 2008 to 2009. Data were collected through face to face interviews. The association of medication adherence with socioeconomic characteristics, hypertension-related history, knowledge, antihypertensive lifestyle, and memory was assessed by computing odds ratios in logistic regressions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Of the 241 patients, 44% were aged 75 or older, and 60% were male. The rate of non-adherence with antihypertensive medication was 41%. Metamemory, adherence to an antihypertensive lifestyle, and employment status, were associated with participants' adherence to antihypertensive medication in both univariate and multivariate analyses. Results suggest that memory functions are a key factor to medication adherence among the Korean elderly population. In contrast to younger adults, unintentional non-adherence appears to be a major issue for older adults to keep medicating. Interventions focusing on memory ability, such as strategies for recalling and placing cues, are needed for implementation in the population of older Korean patients with hypertension. Unemployed older people who have hypertensive lifestyles should also be considered a high-risk group for non-adherence to medication.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Nursing Science, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Yeon-Hwan
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Heejin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Soong-Nang
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Chin Kang
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Koh
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003153:Community Health Services; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007723:Korea; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence / Q000208:ethnology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D016903:Drug Monitoring
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents