The Relation between Medication-Related Beliefs and Treatment Adherence in Patients with Hypertension in Urban Health Care Centers in Isfahan, Iran

Treatment adherence is a major factor in the treatment of hypertension. Some studies have suggested that medication-related beliefs are effective on treatment adherence. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim to determine the relationship between medication-related beliefs and treatment adherence in patients with hypertension.
This cross-sectional study was conducted on 300 patients with hypertension who referred to health care centers in Isfahan, Iran in 2015. The participants were selected using classified random sampling. Data were collected using a demographic characteristics questionnaire, the Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire, and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS).The reliability of the BMQ and MMAS has been, respectively, reported as 0.71 and 0.69 in Iranian studies. Data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient, Spearman’s correlation, and independent t-test in SPSS software. All P values of less than 0.05 were considered significant.
Findings: The mean age of participants was 58.55 ± 6.16 years and 68.3% of them were women. There was a significant correlation between medication-related beliefs and treatment adherence (r = 0.21, P = 0.001). The gender and age of patients did not have a significant relation with medication-related beliefs and treatment adherence (P > 0.050). Education level and occupation had significant relations with medication-related beliefs (P 0.050).
Medication-related beliefs can affect treatment adherence. Educational interventions in patients with hypertension can increase treatment adherence through emphasizing positive beliefs about medication use.