Adherence to Pharmacological Treatment and Factors Affecting the Adherence among Hypertensive Patients Attending Primary Health Care Centers in Jazan, Saudi Arabia

Background: Hypertension (HTN) is a major health problem globally because it can result in significant morbidity and a reduction in life expectancy, HTN is responsible for 9.4 million deaths annually, either due to heart attack or stroke with a contribution of 45% and 51%, respectively

Objective: Evaluate the level of adherence to anti-HTN medications and which factors affect this adherence in the Jazan area

Methodology: The researcher investigated the adherence to anti-hypertension (anti-HTN) medication of participants aged more than 18 in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia, they conducted interviews with patients who attend primary health care centers and focused on their socio-demographics, such as age, education, and topographical location of their home. The data from the interviews were analyzed using the Hill-Bone scale to determine perfect and imperfect adherence to anti-HTN medication

Results: 82.7% of the participants show imperfect adherence to medication which is a significantly higher percentage than that found in other areas of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. The researchers further analyzed the data for correlations between sociodemographic characteristics and adherence to anti-HTN medication. This showed that patients living in the mountainous areas of Jazan have a stronger adherence to their medication than those living in the plains or on the coast (OR = 10.77, P value = 0.011). Also, those patients with an income of 5,000 RS or less are more likely to adhere to their medication than those with higher income (OR = 0.18, P value = 0.035). Other socio-demographic characteristics showed no strong correlation with medication adherence.

Conclusion: Overall, anti-HTN medication adherence in the Jazan region is poor and researchers recommend the implementation of an educational program to highlight the importance of adhering to anti-HTN medication.