Table 1.

African-Americans’ reasons for medication adherence

Themes	Reasons	Sample quotes
Staying alive to fulfill functional roles	Prevention of diabetes complications and hospitalization	See, what made me take my medication, […] about six months ago, I was in the hospital nine days, simply because of not taking stuff I was supposed to take for my diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma […] that was real stupid. And I was in the hospital. I had to get serious because I couldn’t breathe, my sugars were out of whack. It was just crazy. So that, to me, made me get serious now […] because I don’t want to go through that again. [WOMAN]
	Prevention of death to see family	I just want to be here for my grandkids. I want to be around for my grandkids. That’s why I try to take my medicine. I want to see them grow up to be teenagers. [DBPID_0041]
Belief in health care	Doctor treatment recommendation	There’s all kinds of side effect. I know I get tired when I take some of my meds. I still take it […] Because […] I’m going by what the doctor told me. [DBPID_0041]
	Medication helpfulness	The pills can help you maintain diabetes […] you have to make other life changes along with the pill if you actually want to have some control over diabetes. [DBPID_003] Well, we need them (medications) to survive. [DBPID_0018] I know the medicine has got to be doing something. I know without it, I wouldn’t be here. I’d have been dead. I probably would have had a stroke. I probably would have had a heart attack […] I’d probably be confined in a nursing home somewhere, you know, the whole left side of your body paralyzed, so I don’t take my medicine for granted, because I know that’s the only thing that’s going to keep me alive. [DBPID_0038]