중고령자의 고혈압, 당뇨병 처방약 복약순응도와 헬스 리터러시의 관련성

Abstract

Objectives: This study examined the association between medication adherence and health literacy in middle-aged and older adults with hypertension or diabetes. Methods: The records of 3,846 individuals aged ≥40 years who were taking prescribed medications for hypertension or diabetes at the time of the survey were obtained from the Korea Health Panel 2021. Chi-square tests and t-tests were used to health literacy and medication adherence levels. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine their association. Results: Approximately 67.9% of participants adhered to their medication. After adjusting for socioeconomic status and health- and health system-related factors, health literacy was associated with medication adherence. Participants with inadequate health literacy (odds ratio [OR]=0.70, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.58-0.86) and those with marginal health literacy (OR=0.79, 95% CI=0.64-0.96) were less likely to adhere to their medication than those with adequate health literacy. Conclusion: Enhancing health literacy could improve medication adherence among individuals with chronic diseases. Interventions targeting both health literacy and medication adherence should be developed.