Knowledge and acceptance associated with medication adherence among hypertension individuals in Aceh province, Indonesia

Low adherence to anti-hypertensive medication is observed among individuals in Aceh, the westernmost province of Indonesia. Since uncontrolled hypertension has the potential to develop into a life-threatening disease, exploring medication adherence among this specific population is essential. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate knowledge and acceptance associated with medication adherence among hypertensive individuals in Aceh Province. A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to July 2023 on 534 respondents diagnosed with hypertension, who were selected using the random sampling method. Demographic characteristics collected included body height and weight, age, gender, education, ethnicity, and occupation. Acceptance and knowledge were measured through a set of standardized questionnaires while the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8 was used for evaluating medication adherence. Logistic regression with a multinomial model was used to assess the correlations of acceptance and knowledge with medication adherence. The results showed that only 28.5 % of the respondents had high adherence to anti-hypertensive medication. Furthermore, a high level of acceptance towards hypertension significantly predicted medication adherence (p < 0.001; OR = 9.14 [95%CI: 3.49–23.94]). Knowledge about dosing frequency, the benefits of low-fat and sodium diets, and the negative impacts of drinking alcohol were correlated with high-level adherence (p < 0.01). Meanwhile, knowledge about renal complications correlated negatively with adherence level (p = 0.002; OR = 0.32 [95%CI: 0.16–0.66]). In conclusion, this study showed that acceptance and knowledge of hypertension correlated with the level of medication adherence.