Medication Adherence to Oral Hypoglycemic Drugs among Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus – A Community Study

CONTEXT: Control of diabetes mellitus is a global challenge and nonadherence to diabetic medications is a public health concern. Factors related to patients, medications, and system can contribute to nonadherence. AIMS: We aimed to determine self-reported adherence to oral hypoglycemics and to understand the determinants of medication adherence in a group of adult diabetics in South Kerala. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 218 diabetic individuals. An eight-item questionnaire to assess the level of adherence and a structured interview schedule were administered to meet the objectives. Adherence was categorized as poor, moderate and high, based on k-means cluster analysis. RESULTS: The proportion of good adherence was 60.09%. Higher age, male gender, nonalcoholic, higher family income, higher frequency of blood glucose monitoring, and controlled blood sugar level were independent predictors of good adherence. CONCLUSION: The proportion of individuals with poor medication adherence is low. Focus must be on determining factors influencing medication nonadherence.