Differences in Beliefs About Cholesterol-Lowering Medications Among the Visegrad Group Countries: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: New cholesterol guidelines highlight more personalized risk assessments and new cholesterol-lowering drugs for people at the highest risk for cardiovascular disease. Adherence due to fear of and lack of trust in medications prevents treatment to provide better health outcomes.Objectives: The aim of our study was to investigate the possible differences in the beliefs about the necessity and concerns regarding lipid-lowering drugs among the Visegrad Group countries.Methods: The Beliefs About Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ-Specific) was used in our research. The responses of 205 Hungarian, 200 Slovak, 235 Czech, and 200 Polish participants, all taking cholesterol-lowering medications, were compared to each other.Results: Hungarian participants' belief in the necessity of cholesterol-lowering drugs was significantly lower compared to the Slovak (P = 0.001), Czech (P = 0.037), and Polish (P < 0.001) participants. While no difference was observed between the Czech and Slovak responses (P = 0.154), both the Czech (P < 0.001) and Slovak (P = 0.006) respondents' belief regarding necessity was lower than that of the Polish. Regarding concerns, the only significant difference was observed between the Czech and the Polish respondents (P = 0.011).Conclusions: While the beliefs about benefits (necessity) are most prominent among the Polish participants, except in comparison to Czech responses, the Visegrad Group countries do not differ considerably regarding their beliefs about the fear (concerns) of the treatment.

Assessment of attitudes towards antihypertensive medication among Hungarian patients with hypertension using the Beliefs About Medicines Questionnaire: a validation and cross- sectional study

“…The lowest percentage of respondents (10.2% and 11.5%) were "skeptical" about cholesterol-lowering drugs. [35] Slightly different results were obtained in the current study, with the difference that most participants belonged to the "indifferent" (38.1%) group, while the second largest group was "accepting" (27.0%).…”

“…[3,4] The other Visegrad countries -namely Czechia, Slovakia and Poland -also have a high prevalence (22-26%). The risk of those diagnosed by a physician increases with age, with 16% of those aged [35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44] suffering from this condition. [4,5] The increasing prevalence of hypertension worldwide is in uenced by a complex interplay of social, economic, demographic, environmental and genetic factors, [6] while its associated risk factors, such as obesity, unhealthy diet and extensive physical inactivity, together cause a further increase in the number of patients.…”