Table 1. Model predictors of adherence.
| Model | Variable | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Model 1 and model 2 | Continuity of care | Usual Provider Continuity Score (UPI)[25] (tertile and dichotomous ≥ 75%, proportion of visits to most-visited provider); alternative: CoC score[26], concentration of patient visits across set of providers |
| Age | At time of survey completion (July 1, 2006 –June 30, 2009) | |
| Gender | As per Australian Medicare profile (which can be updated by the individual) | |
| Model 2 only | Highest Education Qualification | Self-reported |
| Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander | Self-reported | |
| Language other than English | Language spoken at home | |
| Partnership Status | Marriage or partner versus never married, separated, divorced or widowed | |
| Private Health Insurance | Self-report of private insurance (at levels of basic private hospital cover or ‘with extras,’ indicating additional cover for ancillary non-hospital services), or Health Care Card[20] | |
| Employment status | Including self-employed | |
| Annual income | Self-reported | |
| ARIA+ Remoteness | Accessibility and Remoteness Index for Australia Plus (ARIA+) score for the postcode of residential address* | |
| Body Mass Index | From self-reported height and weight† | |
| Current Smoking Status | Self-reported | |
| Alcohol Drinks / week | Self-reported | |
| Sufficient Fruit and Vegetables | ≥ 2 servings per day of fruit and 5 of vegetables | |
| Sufficient Physical Activity | At least 150 MET (Metabolic Equivalent Task) adjusted minutes over 5 sessions per week | |
| Self-Rated Health | Self-reported “Overall health” | |
| New to Statins | Considered ‘new’ to statin therapy if there are no PBS records of statins dispensed in the 2 years prior to the study entry date | |
| Self-Reported Heart Disease | Response to “Has a doctor ever told you that you have any of the following…” with tick-box for Heart Disease | |
| Comorbidities | Number of self-reported conditions, out of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, blood clot, asthma, Parkinsons disease, and any cancer except skin cancer | |
| Functional Limitations | Medical Outcomes Study Physical Functioning (MOSPF) scale[32] | |
| Psychological Distress | Kessler–10 (K10) score[33] |
* ARIA+ is based on sum of ratios of road distances to population centers of five distinct sizes as compared to Australian national averages[34]. We label ARIA+ bands: 0–1.84 = Metro; >1.84–3.51 = Inner Regional; >3.51–5.80 = Outer Regional; >5.80–9.08 = Remote; and >9.08 = Very Remote.
† BMI categories are labelled conventionally as Underweight (BMI<20), Normal weight (BMI 20 –<25), Overweight (BMI 25 –<30) and Obese (BMI 30 and higher).