Determinant factors of treatment adherence of hypertensive patients in a rural area of Indonesia

Background: The surging prevalence of hypertension due to lifestyle brought forth an increase in degenerative diseases. Adherence is important in achieving the effectiveness of therapy. This study aims to analyze the factors affecting medication adherence in patients with hypertension. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between 20-24 February 2023 at Turirejo Village, Lawang District, Malang, Indonesia. Participants were hypertensive patients currently receiving treatment. The MMAS-8 questionnaire was used to classify adherence to medication for hypertension. Analysis with binary logistic regression test was performed on variables to display odds ratio values was conducted at a significance level of p<0.05. Results: A total of 37 adults diagnosed with hypertension participated in this study. Patients were dominantly consisting of elderly (≥ 56 years old; 73.0%) and females (86.0%). Seventy-six percent of patients have low adherence, twenty-four percent of patients have moderate adherence, and no patient has high adherence. Duration of illness, knowledge, and attitude variables significantly affect adherence (low and moderate) to medication for hypertension. Multivariate analysis showed that patients with a duration of illness above 10 years (Adjusted OR 18.27; 95% CI 1.72-194.47; p-value 0.016) and positive attitude towards treatment (Adjusted OR 12.76; 95% CI 1.25-130.40; p-value 0.032, respectively) increase the possibility of moderate adherence towards the medication of hypertension. Conclusion: Improvements in factors that affect adherence to hypertension treatment are needed to increase the success of the Non-Communicable Disease Prevention Program. Further research in identifying factors of economic capacity and access to health service providers is needed to validate the results of this study