Factors associated with medication adherence among adult diabetic patients of Bangladesh.

Abstract

Medication non-adherence remains a considerable public health concern among diabetic patients in Bangladesh. It can lead to waste of medication, disease progression, a lower quality of life, and increased use of medical resources. The aim of this study is to comprehensively assess the factors associated with medication adherence among diabetic patients in Bangladesh. A sample of 426 diagnosed diabetic patients was conveniently recruited from government hospitals (secondary and tertiary level), outpatient clinics, and physicians' private practices between August and September 2023. A pretested semi-structured questionnaire was employed for interviewer-administered data collection. The questionnaire included socio-demographic history, personal characteristics, disease-related information, and a medication adherence rating scale (MARS-5). A multivariable logistic regression model was used to explore the factors associated with medication adherence. The mean age of the participants was 55.49±10.19 years, and half of them were female (50.00%) and lived with a partner (50.70%). The prevalence of poor medication adherence was 42.25% (95% CI: 37.63-47.01%). Participants who lived with a partner (AOR: 1.66, CI: 1.03-2.68), had higher educational status (AOR: 2.65, CI: 1.08-6.54), understanding of all current medication (AOR: 1.69, CI: 1.04-2.77), satisfaction with healthcare (AOR: 2.53, CI: 1.32-4.88) were associated with good medication adherence. Conversely, a higher number of medications (AOR: 0.87, CI: 0.76-1.00), self-medication (AOR: 0.35, CI: 0.18-0.70), and poor mental health (AOR: 0.53, CI: 0.30-0.92) were associated with a lower likelihood of good adherence. Medication non-adherence among diabetic patients is considered to be highly prevalent in Bangladesh. Several factors, including educational status, understanding of medications, satisfaction with healthcare, self-medication, mental health, and number of medications, were associated with medication adherence.