Knowledge about hypertension and factors associated with the non-adherence to drug therapy

to identify the degree of knowledge of people with hypertension concerning the disease and to verify the factors associated with the non-adherence to anti-hypertensive drug therapy.

Cross sectional study, involving 422 people. Data collection took place at their homes, between December 2011 and March 2012, through interviews using the following instruments: Medication Adherence Questionnaire (MAQ-Q), Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI) and a guide with questions related to sociodemographic profile, satisfaction with healthcare service and knowledge about the disease.

42.6% did not adhere to the drug therapy and 17.7% had poor knowledge about the disease. Factors associated with the non-adherence were: complex drug therapy, poor knowledge about the disease and dissatisfaction with the healthcare service.

The findings reinforce that the complex drug therapy prescriptions, little knowledge about the disease and dissatisfaction with the healthcare service have influence on the process of non-adherence to anti-hypertensive drug therapy.