title: Antihypertensive medication use, adherence, stops, and starts in Canadians with hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Some of the greatest barriers to achieving blood pressure control are perceived to be failure to prescribe antihypertensive medication and lack of adherence to medication prescriptions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-reported data from 6017 Canadians with diagnosed hypertension who responded to the 2008 Canadian Community Health Survey and the 2009 Survey on Living with Chronic Diseases in Canada were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority (82%) of individuals with diagnosed hypertension reported using antihypertensive medications. The main reasons for not taking medications were either that they were not prescribed (42%) or that blood pressure had been controlled without medications (45%). Of those not taking antihypertensive medications in 2008 (n = 963), 18% had started antihypertensive medications by 2009, and of those initially taking medications (n = 5058), 5% had stopped. Of those taking medications in 2009, 89% indicated they took the medication as prescribed, and 10% indicated they occasionally missed a dose. Participants who were recently diagnosed, not measuring blood pressure at home, not having a plan to control blood pressure, or not receiving instructions on how to take medications were less likely to be taking antihypertensive medications; similar factors tended to be associated with stopping antihypertensive medication use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compatible with high rates of hypertension control, most Canadians diagnosed with hypertension take antihypertensive medications and report adherence. Widespread implementation of self-management strategies for blood pressure control and standardized instructions on antihypertensive medication may further optimize drug treatment.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Marianne E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Gee
authors.forename: Norm R C
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Femida
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gwadry-Sridhar
authors.forename: Robert P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Nolan
authors.forename: Janusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaczorowski
authors.forename: Asako
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bienek
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Robitaille
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Joffres
authors.forename: Sulan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Robin L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Walker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000379:methods; D002170:Canada; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010352:Patient Dropouts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012424:Rural Population; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents