Table 5.
Reasons for Medication Nonadherence by Adherence Status Among 187 African Americans Admitted to an Urban Hospital With Severe, Poorly Controlled Hypertension a
| Characteristics | Missed Medication Prior to Admission, No. (%) | Prescription Refill, No. (%) | Pill Taking, No. (%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | Yes | Adherent | Nonadherent | Adherent | Nonadherent | |
| Access to care variables | ||||||
| Medical insuranceb | ||||||
| None | 8 (15.7) | 56 (41.2) | 30 (23.6) | 34 (56.7) | 33 (30.8) | 31 (38.8) |
| No medication coverage | 3 (5.9) | 12 (8.8) | 11 (8.7) | 4 (6.7) | 7 (6.5) | 8 (10.0) |
| Medication coverage with copays | 21 (41.2) | 35 (25.7) | 46 (36.2) | 10 (16.7) | 40 (37.4) | 16 (20.0) |
| Full medication coverage | 19 (37.3) | 33 (24.3) | 40 (31.5) | 12 (20.0) | 27 (25.2) | 25 (31.3) |
| Can't afford medicationsc | 8 (15.7) | 64 (51.6) | 40 (31.5) | 32 (66.7) | 41 (38.3) | 31 (45.6) |
| Can't find doctor to prescribed | 3 (5.9) | 22 (17.9) | 17 (13.4) | 8 (17.0) | 12 (11.3) | 13 (19.1) |
| Can't get to pharmacyc | 8 (15.7) | 24 (19.4) | 20 (15.8) | 12 (25.0) | 18 (16.8) | 14 (20.6) |
| Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs | ||||||
| Hypertension knowledge, <80% correcte | 13 (25.5) | 37 (27.2) | 32 (25.2) | 18 (30.0) | 21 (19.6) | 29 (36.3) |
| Experience side effectsd | 9 (17.7) | 23 (18.7) | 23 (18.1) | 9 (19.2) | 12 (11.3) | 20 (29.4) |
| Forget to take medicinec | 16 (31.4) | 55 (44.5) | 56 (44.1) | 15 (31.3) | 33 (30.8) | 38 (55.9) |
| Blood pressure pills don't helpf | 6 (11.8) | 19 (15.6) | 16 (12.7) | 9 (19.2) | 10 (9.4) | 15 (22.4) |
| Take pills too many times per dayc | 1 (2.0) | 15 (12.1) | 12 (9.5) | 4 (8.3) | 5 (4.7) | 11 (16.2) |
aSee Table 1 for survey questions and definitions. bInsurance status defined through a combination of self‐report, chart review, and review of hospital billing data. cPercentages were calculated for 175 participants because variables were missing in 12 persons (6.4%). dPercentages were calculated for 174 participants because variables were missing in 13 persons (7.0%). eHypertension knowledge defined via a set of eight true/false questions. fPercentage was calculated for 173 participants because variable was missing in 14 persons (7.5%).