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Assessing Barriers to and Level of Adherence to Hypertension Therapy among Palestinians Living in the Gaza Strip: A Chance for Policy Innovation.

ABSTRACT: Introduction:Hypertension is a major health concern, especially in low-income countries. Nonadherence and poor or no persistence in adhering to hypertension treatment regimens result in uncontrolled high blood pressure, increasing rates of mortality and morbidity, and preventable healthcare costs. The aim of this study was to assess the level of adherence and barriers to treatment regimens among hypertensive patients living in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Methods:A convenience sample of 648 participants completed the Hill-Bone Compliance to High Blood Pressure Therapy Scale. The great majority of participants (n?=?521, 80.4%) was highly adherent to their treatment regimen, 123 participants (18.98%) were classified as moderately nonadherent, and 4 (0.62%) participants were classified as highly nonadherent to their hypertension treatment regimen. Participants of this study showed the highest adherence rate to the domain of medication adherence (mean of 1.42 out of 4) followed by appointment keeping (mean 1.8), while they were least adherent to diet (mean of 2.18). The greatest three barriers to adherence to the recommended treatment regimen reported by participants were inability to exercise, inability to resist fast and fried food, and inability to keep themselves away from salty foods. Conclusion:Overall adherence to medication in Gaza was surprisingly good in patients with a diagnosis of hypertension for at least one year. However, adherence to lifestyle advice or dietary regimes remains poor. A combination of interventions using low-cost mobile technology, combined with face-to-face interventions by healthcare professionals, can be applied to improve adherence to hypertension treatment regimens in order to reduce the consequences of uncontrolled blood pressure.

SUBMITTER: Abu-El-Noor NI

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7555458 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Assessing Barriers to and Level of Adherence to Hypertension Therapy among Palestinians Living in the Gaza Strip: A Chance for Policy Innovation.

Abu-El-Noor Nasser Ibrahim NI Aljeesh Yousef Ibrahim YI Bottcher Bettina B Abu-El-Noor Mysoon Khalil MK

International journal of hypertension 20200924

<h4>Introduction</h4>Hypertension is a major health concern, especially in low-income countries. Nonadherence and poor or no persistence in adhering to hypertension treatment regimens result in uncontrolled high blood pressure, increasing rates of mortality and morbidity, and preventable healthcare costs. The aim of this study was to assess the level of adherence and barriers to treatment regimens among hypertensive patients living in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.<h4>Methods</h4>A convenience sampl ...[more]

PMID: 33062318

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Project description:BackgroundSeveral factors might contribute to the delay to get cancer care including poor cancer awareness and having barriers to seeking help. This study described these barriers in Gaza and their association with recalling and recognizing cancer symptoms and risk factors.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in Gaza. Adult visitors (≥18 years) to the largest three governmental hospitals and adolescent students (15-17 years) from ten high schools were recruited. A translated-into-Arabic version of the validated Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM) was used to collect data in face-to-face interviews. It described demographic data, barriers to seek cancer care as well as recall and recognition of cancer symptoms and risk factors. Responses were compared between adults and adolescents as well as males and females.ResultsOf 3033 participants approached, 2886 completed the CAM (response rate= 95.2%). Among them, 1429 (49.5%) were adult (702 females; 49.1%) and 1457 (50.5%) were adolescent (781 females; 53.6%). The mean age± standard deviation (SD) of adult and adolescent participants was 33.7±11.7 years and 16.3±0.8 years, respectively. Emotional barriers were the most common barriers with 'feeling scared' as the most reported barrier (n=1512, 52.4%). Females and adolescents were more likely to report 'feeling scared' as a barrier than males and adults, respectively. Higher recall scores for cancer symptoms were associated with lower likelihood to report 'embarrassment', 'worry about wasting doctor's time' and 'difficulty arranging transport'. This was also seen for recalling risk factors, where 'embarrassment' and all practical barriers showed significant inverse associations with higher scores. In addition, greater recognition scores of cancer risk factors were inversely associated with reporting 'embarrassment' and 'feeling scared'.ConclusionsThe most commonly perceived barriers to seeking cancer care were 'feeling scared' and 'feeling worried about what the doctor might find', followed by practical and service barriers. Females and adolescents were more likely to report 'fear' as a barrier to seek medical advice. Having a higher recall of cancer symptoms and risk factors was inversely associated with reporting most barriers. To improve patient outcome, early presentation can be facilitated by targeting barriers specific to population groups.

Dataset Information

Assessing Barriers to and Level of Adherence to Hypertension Therapy among Palestinians Living in the Gaza Strip: A Chance for Policy Innovation.

Publications

Assessing Barriers to and Level of Adherence to Hypertension Therapy among Palestinians Living in the Gaza Strip: A Chance for Policy Innovation.

Similar Datasets

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