Determinants of Medication Adherence for Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients During Continuation Phase in Dalian, Northeast China

PURPOSE: Medication adherence is crucial for decreasing the burden of tuberculosis, but few relevant studies have been conducted in northeast China. This study aimed to explore the level of medication adherence among pulmonary tuberculosis outpatients and the predictive factors based on the bio-psycho-social medical model. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional multi-center survey was conducted in four tuberculosis medical institutions in Dalian, northeast China. Medication adherence was measured using the eight-item Chinese version of the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, which divides adherence into three levels. The independent variables consisted of sociodemographic characteristics, treatment factors, knowledge about TB, mental health, and behavioral characteristics. Descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, and multivariate ordinal logistic regression were applied to analyze the data using Stata/MP 14.0. RESULTS: Among the 564 eligible participants, 236 (41.84%) and 183 (32.45%) exhibited high and medium medication adherence, respectively, but 145 (25.71%) exhibited low medication adherence. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression showed that patients who were older (OR: 1.02, p=0.013) were employed (OR: 1.61, p=0.011), had better tuberculosis knowledge (OR: 1.34, p<0.001), and did not consume alcohol (OR: 1.84, p=0.032) exhibited higher medication adherence. However, patients who did not follow their doctors’ advice to take adjuvant drugs (OR: 0.44, p=0.001), had a history of TB treatment (OR: 1.76, p=0.009), experienced adverse drug reactions (OR: 0.65, p=0.017), experienced stigma (OR: 0.67, p=0.032), and needed supervised treatment (OR: 0.66, p=0.012) exhibited lower medication adherence. CONCLUSION: Tuberculosis patients’ medication adherence was not very high and it was influenced by diverse and complex factors involving sociodemographic characteristics, treatment factors, knowledge about TB, mental health, and behavioral characteristics.