EVALUATION OF HYPERTENSION AWARENESS AND TREATMENT ADHERENCE
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine hypertension (HT) awareness in the adult population, to identify symptom-oriented misconceptions in illness perception, and to examine the effects of sociodemographic factors (gender, educational status) on medical treatment adherence and the use of traditional methods. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional and descriptive study included 343 adult participants (180 males, 163 females) residing in Samsun province. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire inquiring about the participants' sociodemographic characteristics, epidemiological HT awareness, and the treatment adherence of 131 patients diagnosed with HT. Pearson Chi-square and Fisher's Exact tests were used for statistical analyses. Results: The prevalence of physician-diagnosed HT in the sample was found to be 38.2% (n=131). Although 74.3% of the participants knew the diagnostic threshold (140/90 mmHg), 69.4% identified "headache" as the primary symptom. Even though 87.8% of the HT patients knew that medications should be taken every day, the rate of regular medication adherence remained at 65.6%. Of the patients, 12.2% took their medications only when they were symptomatic, and 63.4% used garlic/lemon as an alternative treatment. Although the rate of knowing disease complications increased with higher education levels, the habit of adding salt without tasting the food was most common (66.5%) among university graduates. It was determined that male patients attended outpatient control visits more regularly (p=0.025) and received more information from physicians regarding medication side effects (p=0.014) compared to female patients. Conclusion: Although theoretical awareness regarding HT is high in the community, this does not always translate into treatment adherence and proper lifestyle modifications. The tendency of patients to manage an asymptomatic chronic disease like a symptom-oriented (headache) acute condition, and their inclination towards traditional methods, are major barriers. To enhance therapeutic success, there is a need to strengthen patient-physician communication in the clinic and to implement behavioral interventions.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejphs.v9i2.260
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