title: Adherence to Antipsychotic Medication by Community-Based Patients With Schizophrenia in China: A Cross-Sectional Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Nonadherence to antipsychotic medication is a major health concern. Identification of risk factors associated with nonadherence is a useful initial step toward designing an effective intervention. This study compared the characteristics of medication-adherent and -nonadherent outpatients with schizophrenia in a Chinese community setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a naturalistic, multicenter, and cross-sectional design, 601 outpatients with schizophrenia served by the National Continuing Management and Intervention Program for Psychoses (the "686 program") were surveyed from June 2013 to January 2014 in four Chinese cities. On the basis of self-reported behavior, the patients were divided into medication-adherent and -nonadherent groups. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify potential risk factors associated with nonadherence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analyses included 554 patients, 20% of whom were considered to be nonadherent. Compared with the adherent group, the nonadherent group had a longer period of untreated psychosis (odds ratio [OR]=1.09), lower body mass index (OR=.94), higher rate of rural residency (OR=2.01), and lower monthly household income per capita (OR=.94/100 renminbi) (p<.05 by hierarchical analysis). Other characteristics (age, gender, occupation, education, marital status, living with family, age at initial presentation of symptoms, duration of illness, and type of antipsychotic medication) did not differ significantly between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Medication-adherent and -nonadherent groups differed significantly in some social and treatment characteristics. These findings may be useful in informing the development of strategies for reducing medication nonadherence.
authors.affiliation: With the exception of Dr. Law, who is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the authors are affiliated with Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing, People's Republic of China (e-mail: yuxin@bjmu.edu.cn ).
authors.forename: Xun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: With the exception of Dr. Law, who is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the authors are affiliated with Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing, People's Republic of China (e-mail: yuxin@bjmu.edu.cn ).
authors.forename: Wufang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: With the exception of Dr. Law, who is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the authors are affiliated with Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing, People's Republic of China (e-mail: yuxin@bjmu.edu.cn ).
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: With the exception of Dr. Law, who is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the authors are affiliated with Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing, People's Republic of China (e-mail: yuxin@bjmu.edu.cn ).
authors.forename: Lili
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: With the exception of Dr. Law, who is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the authors are affiliated with Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing, People's Republic of China (e-mail: yuxin@bjmu.edu.cn ).
authors.forename: Samuel F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Law
authors.affiliation: With the exception of Dr. Law, who is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the authors are affiliated with Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing, People's Republic of China (e-mail: yuxin@bjmu.edu.cn ).
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: With the exception of Dr. Law, who is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the authors are affiliated with Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing, People's Republic of China (e-mail: yuxin@bjmu.edu.cn ).
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016903:Drug Monitoring
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents