Relationship Between Medication Adherence And Blood Pressure Control Among Adults With Primary Hypertension Attending A Primary Care Clinic Of A Tertiary Hospital In North Western Nigeria

Background: Hypertension is one of the most common risk factors for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in both developed and developing countries. Medication adherence is a universal factor in achieving optimal blood pressure control among people living with hypertension. Aim: To determine the relationship between medication adherence and blood pressure control among the respondents attending the General Outpatient Clinic of Federal Medical Centre, Gusau Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study included respondents attending the General Outpatient Clinic of Federal Medical Centre, Gusau. The researchers used systematic random sampling to select 138 study participants. The researchers collected respondents' data using a pre-tested, interviewer-administered questionnaire. They also used the Morisky Medication Adherence Questionnaire (MMAS-8) to measure respondents' medication adherence. We assessed the relationship between medication adherence and blood pressure control using a chi-square test. We set the significance level at p < 0.05. Results: Most respondents had poor medication adherence (86.2%), while 19.4% had moderate adherence and 4.4% had good adherence. Similarly, most respondents (73.9%) had poor blood pressure control, while 26.1% had good blood pressure control. Bivariate analysis showed a statistically significant relationship between medication adherence and blood pressure control at p < 0.05. Conclusions: Most respondents had poor blood pressure control, likely due to poor medication adherence. This relationship was statistically significant. Therefore, primary care physicians should routinely assess medication adherence among hypertensive patients to ensure optimal blood pressure control.