Epidemiological correlates of adherence to anti-hypertensive treatment in primary health care setting of Ludhiana, Punjab

Authors

  • Sangeeta Girdhar Department of Community Medicine, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
  • Anurag Chaudhary Department of Community Medicine, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
  • Nahush R. Bansal Department of Gastroenterology, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9401-9973
  • Prabhleen Kaur Office of Civil Surgeon, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
  • Amanat Grewal Thapar Hospital and Research Institute, Moga, Punjab, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20222026

Keywords:

Hypertension, Urban population, Non-adherence, Contributing factors

Abstract

Background: There is an increasing burden of hypertension in India. The complications arising from hypertension mainly occur due to non-adherence to pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. Adherence to pharmacotherapy for hypertension varies from 43-88%. Various socio-demographic factors influence non-adherence. This study determined adherence to treatment among hypertensives and factors associated with non-adherence.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on hypertensive patients visiting OPD of an institutional urban health centre. A predesigned semi-structured questionnaire including socio-demographic profile, treatment-seeking behavior, adherence to medications, and lifestyle risk factors (smoking, intake of alcohol, junk food, and high salt diet) was applied. Reasons for non-adherence were also explored. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26 version.

Results: A total of 186 individuals: 113 females (60.8%) and 73 males (39.2%), participated in the study. The mean age of participants was 60.9±10.7 years. Adherence to anti-hypertensive treatment was witnessed in 68.3% of patients. The adherence was noticed significantly (p=0.001) more in literate than illiterate subjects. Further, the adherence was lower among smokers (25%) and alcohol consumers (43.75%) as compared to non-users (70.22% and 73.37%, respectively; p<0.01). Discontinuation of medicine on feeling well, forgetfulness, and unawareness were predominant reasons for skipping medications.

Conclusions: Non-adherence to the anti-hypertensives significantly adds to the disease burden. A deeper understanding of factors responsible for the non-adherence plays a pivotal role in addressing this issue and improving quality of life. Intensive health education and counseling of the patients is the need of the hour.

Author Biographies

Sangeeta Girdhar, Department of Community Medicine, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India

Professor

Department of Social and Preventive Medicine

Anurag Chaudhary, Department of Community Medicine, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India

Professor cum Head

Department of Social and Preventive Medicine

Nahush R. Bansal, Department of Gastroenterology, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India

Junior Resident 

General Medicine

Prabhleen Kaur, Office of Civil Surgeon, Ludhiana, Punjab, India

District Epidemiologist

Amanat Grewal, Thapar Hospital and Research Institute, Moga, Punjab, India

House Physician

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Published

2022-07-27

How to Cite

Girdhar, S., Chaudhary, A., Bansal, N. R., Kaur, P., & Grewal, A. (2022). Epidemiological correlates of adherence to anti-hypertensive treatment in primary health care setting of Ludhiana, Punjab. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 9(8), 3214–3218. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20222026

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Original Research Articles