The Effect of Social Support on Treatment Adherence in Hypertension in China

Objective: Treatment nonadherence is a major problem in the management of hypertension. There are many factors influencing the treatment adherence of hypertensive patients. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of social support on the treatment adherence in hypertension in China. Patients and Methods: A total of 453 patients with hypertension hospitalized in a tertiary hospital in Xi’an, China were invited to participate in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected by “modified Chinese Hill-Bone compliance to high blood pressure therapy scale” and “Chinese Family Support Scale”. Results: It was found that 31.1% of patients were adherent with their antihypertensive treatments. Gender, duration of antihypertensive drug used, number of antihypertensive drugs used and social support were independently associated with hypertensive treatment adherence. Social support was strongly and positively associated with the hypertensive treatment adherence ( P < 0.001, OR = 0.752, 95% CI: 0.678– 0.833). Family social support was provided to hypertensive patients mainly through their nuclear family, that is spouses, partner or children. Treatment adherence of hypertensive patients was positively correlated to the three subgroups of social support. It was found that social support provided to patients from social resource (r=0.568) had greater impact on treatment adherence than that from kinship (r=0.364) and nuclear family (r=0.262). Conclusion: Treatment adherence of patients with hypertension was found to increase positively as their social support increased. In addition to the support given to patients from nuclear family members, other social support especially professional agencies and community organizations should also be promoted and strengthened. Keywords: hypertension, treatment adherence, social support, China