Impact of Personal Cultural and Religious Beliefs on Medication Adherence among Patients with Chronic Diseases at University Hospital in Northwest Ethiopia 

Abstract

Background Subjective beliefs about chronic disease conditions and their drug management are among factors determining adherence to medications that are amenable to interventions. Patient-level factors such as personal, cultural, and religious beliefs about diseases, and medication use may have a significant impact on medication adherence. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of personal, cultural and religious beliefs on medication adherence behavior among patients with chronic follow-up. Patients and Methods An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among chronic ambulatory patients from July to August 2021. The data was collected through an interviewer administered questionnaire. Initially stratified sampling technique was used to include proportional participants from different disease conditions, and systematic random sampling was employed to enroll eligible patients from each subgroup. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were computed for categorical variables and mean with (standard deviation ±SD) used for continuous variables. Logistic regression model was employed to determine variable with poor adherence. A 95% confidence interval with P-value ≤0.05 was used to declare statically significance. Results Among the 404 participants, more than half (51%) were males. The mean (±SD) age of the patients was 47.8 ± 14.8 years. Patients with strong belief in the harm of medications were found 4 times more likely to have poor medication adherence than those with weak belief in the harm of medications (AOR = 4.027, 95% CI:1.232–13.161, P = 0.021). In contrast, having strong personal belief regarding the necessity of medications were found to be less likely to have poor medication adherence (AOR = 0.368, 95% CI: 0.220–0.615, P < 0.001). Conclusion This study generalized that most of the patients were poor adherent to their medications. Personal beliefs were found to influence medication adherence of the patients. Future studies could be needed to explore and identify how these factors affect patients’ medication adherence.

Self-reported medication adherence instruments and their applicability in low-middle income countries: a scoping review

“…In LMICs, religion plays a significant role in daily life and it could be a challenging issue regarding non-adherence to medication due to the beliefs about the super power of God ( 98 ). People who place a high value on religion tend to share the view that God can and does perform miracles and has absolute control over everything in their lives ( 99 ).…”

Navigating the Challenges: Predictors of Non-Adherence to Psychotropic Medications Among Patients with Severe Mental Illnesses in Ethiopia

“…Due to the fact that adherence is positively correlated with health seeking, the relevance of any form of treatment for a patient is determined by their attitude. 24,48 It was additionally determined that the absence of involvement from family members predicted failure to adhere to psychotropic medications. Research from the United States and Nigeria agreed up this finding.…”

“…Due to the fact that adherence is positively correlated with health seeking, the relevance of any form of treatment for a patient is determined by their attitude. 24 , 48 …”

“…Family support and social support were assessed by evaluating the presence of encouraging patients to take medications properly, treatment follow-up, reassurance or listening to the patient talk about his/ her illness, and financial by their family and or society. 24 , 25 Attending regular follow-up appointments which are arranged by the hospital at set intervals were also assessed. 26 Patient attitude towards medication were assessed by using drug attitude inventory scale which contains 10 true/false items.…”

Health Awareness: A Significant Factor in Chronic Diseases Prevention and Access to Care

“…Kasahum et al [55] stated that "Subjective beliefs about chronic disease conditions and their drug management are among factors determining adherence to medications that are amenable to interventions." People's perceptions about their diseases, knowledge, and care are based on their environment or setting [1] A study in Ethiopia about the impact of personal, cultural and religious beliefs on medication on patients with chronic disease [55] concluded that personal beliefs were significantly associated with low medication adherence and that study participants with stronger beliefs in the efficacy of traditional medicine were less likely to adhere to their medications. Differences in the culture of the patient and care giver could be an impediment in chronic disease care [46].…”