Factors associated with medication adherence among adult diabetic patients of Bangladesh

INTRODUCTION: 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. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSIONS: 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.