Adherence to Treatment among Adults Living with Hypertension, Diabetes and Stroke in Ghana

Abstract

Introduction: Poor adherence to chronic disease treatment has been characterized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a worldwide problem of striking magnitude. Many patients have trouble adhering to treatment guidelines. It creates disease-related medical and psychological difficulties, lowers patients' quality of life, and expends healthcare resources. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate adherence to treatment among people living with non-communicable diseases in Ghana, using evidence from the World Health Organization Study of Global Ageing and Adult Health Wave 2. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study design was employed in the study using a secondary dataset. A total of 445 people who responded they have been diagnosed with hypertension, stroke and diabetes were selected from the SAGE Wave 2 data. Descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis were performed with a p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Adherence was measured by asking the question ‘have you taken your prescribed medication within the last two weeks?’ This was used to categorize the level of adherence to ‘adhered to treatment’ and ‘not adhered to treatment’. Results: The most common chronic disease among adults in Ghana is Hypertension (67.42%). Majority of the respondents (76.18%) did not adhere to their treatment plan with only (26.08%) adhering to their treatment. Females, married, and people below age 60 years were significantly more likely to adhere to their treatment plan than males, currently not married and those above the age of 60 years. Conclusion: Treatment adherence is generally low among adults living with Hypertension, Diabetes and Stroke in Ghana. Health practitioners should identify what hinders males from adhering to treatment and also intensify education and screening to identify early diagnosis of chronic diseases.