Health Behaviors and Medication Adherence in Elderly Patients

Purpose: To explore the relationships of selected health behaviors to medication adherence.

Design: A retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Data from Korean national health insurance claims between January 2010 and June 2011.

Subjects: Patients aged 65 years and older with hypertension (N = 662,170), hyperlipidemia (N = 244,702), or diabetes (N = 179,285).

Measures: Medication adherence as a medication possession ratio from January to June 2011 as a dependent variable. The waist circumference (cm) and the body mass index (weight in kilogram divided by height in meter squared) as a marker for obesity. Smoking, drinking, and physical activity as main independent variables.

Analysis: A multivariate logistic regression.

Results: Nonobese patients, as based on the waist circumference, were more likely to adhere to their medication (by 8.9% for hypertension, 6.2% for diabetes, and 3.5% for hyperlipidemia). Current smokers were less likely to adhere to their medication (by 8.7% for hypertension and 6.8% for diabetes), and moderate and heavy drinkers were also less likely to show medication adherence for diabetes (by 12.9% and 6.4%). Mild physical activity was related to a 1.1% to 1.8% increase in the likelihood of medication adherence across the three disease groups.

Conclusion: Health promotion programs for self-care health behaviors of elderly patients should emphasize good medication adherence to achieve successful self-management of diseases.