Medication adherence, medication beliefs and social support among illiterate and low-literate community-dwelling older adults with polypharmacy

Abstract

Background. polypharmacy can be an area of concern for the older population. a set of internal and external factors determine the degree of adherence to treatment in older adults. Objectives. We aimed to investigate whether medication belief and social support, taking into account the role of socio-demographic and clinical factors, are predictors of medication adherence among illiterate, low-literate community-dwelling older adults with polypharmacy. Material and methods. a cross-sectional study was conducted in the health centres of tabriz-iran in 2022. the data was collected using the socio-demographic and clinical questionnaires, Morisky, Green and levine's adherence scale, belief about Medicines Questionnaire (bMQ) and the Multidimensional scale of perceived social support (Mspss). hierarchical Multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify medication adherence predictors based on a conceptual framework. Results. the final sample size was 318 people. the results showed that age, education years, medication satisfaction, side effects of medications, doctor checkups, medication belief and social support were significant predictors of medication adherence. the necessity part of medication belief had a negative significant relationship, and the concern part had a positive significant relationship with medication adherence. Conclusions. a strong belief along with sufficient social support could be a good predictor of medication adherence. the results showed that elementary education has a positive relationship with people's medication adherence, even among low-literacy populations. the development of literacy movement programmes within communities to promote primary education among illiterate older adults is recommended. our findings also highlight the importance of improving patient-physician communication skills and clear communication in the formation of patients' behaviour.