Barriers to and determinants of medication adherence in hypertension management: perspective of the cohort study of medication adherence among older adults

Abstract

Low adherence to antihypertensive medication remains a public health challenge. Understanding barriers to, and determinants of, adherence to antihypertensive medication may help identify interventions to increase adherence and improve outcomes. The Cohort Study of Medication Adherence in Older Adults is designed to assess risk factors for low antihypertensive medication adherence, explore differences across age, gender, and race subgroups, and determine the relationship of adherence with blood pressure control and cardiovascular outcomes over time. This article discusses the relevance of this study in addressing the issue of barriers to anithypertensive medication adherence.

Figure 1. Recruitment Flowchart for the Cohort Study of Medication Adherence among Older Adults (CoSMO)

*Reason for ineligibility were as follows: no confirmed diagnosis of hypertension (22.9%), hard of hearing (16.4%), too ill to complete survey (12.6%), deceased (11.5%), cognitive screen failure (11.1%), not currently prescribed antihypertensive medication (8.4%), no longer using Humana insurance (6.9%), non-English speaker (5.8%), confined to a nursing home (1.9%), moved out of state (1.1%), current treatment for cancer (1%), or miscellaneous reason (<1%).