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Clinical Nursing Perspectives

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ArticleOpen Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/cnp.2025.12.003

Treatment Compliance and Associated Factors Among Hypertensive Patients: An Institution-based Cross-sectional Study

Senait Debele1, Emebet Berhane2, Fekadu Aga3,*

1Tikur Anbesa Hospital, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa 1176, Ethiopia.

2Addis Ababa University, School of Nursing & Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa 1176, Ethiopia.

3School of Nursing & Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa 1176, Ethiopia.

*Corresponding author: Fekadu Aga

Published: December 05, 2025

Abstract

Background: Treatment compliance for hypertension is a growing global concern. Hypertension treatment noncompliance results in multiorgan dysfunction, poor quality of life, and increased healthcare costs. Objective: This study was aimed to assess the treatment compliance and associated factors among patients with hypertension. Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study of 375 adult hypertensive patients was conducted between October 2020 and May 2021 in a tertiary healthcare setting in Addis Ababa. The 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) was used to measure treatment compliance. We di-chotomized low compliance for a score <8 and high compliance for a score of 8 on the MMAS-8. Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify variables independently associated with treatment compliance. Results: The participants had mean age of 57.4±14.3 years and 54.1% of treatment compliance. Being older than 60 years (AOR = 0.12, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.06, 0.25), without formal education (AOR = 0.25, 95%CI, 0.09, 0.63), comorbidity (AOR = 0.36, 95%CI, 0.19, 0.66), and having ever missed medication (AOR = 0.36, 95%CI, 0.19, 0.67) had lower odds of treatment compliance. Having lived with hypertension for less than 5 years (AOR = 3.98, 95%CI, 1.58, 10.03) and from 5 to 15 years (AOR = 4.36, 95%CI, 1.53, 12.37), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) <89 mmHg (AOR = 7.28, 95%CI, 1.97, 26.91) and 90–99 mmHg (AOR = 6.37, 95%CI, 1.73, 23.39), and a high physical activity level (AOR = 2.16, 95%CI, 1.12, 4.36) had higher odds of treatment compliance. Conclusion: Most of the participants in our study had low treatment compliance. Age > 60 years, lack of formal education, comorbidities, and missing medications were independent risk factors for low treatment compliance. Healthcare teams should design and im-plement interventions tailored to patients’ age and comorbidity status.

Keyword

Hypertension; treatment compliance; blood pressure; adult patient; chronic illness

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How to cite this paper

Treatment Compliance and Associated Factors Among Hypertensive Patients: An Institution-based Cross-sectional Study

How to cite this paper: Senait Debele, Emebet Berhane, Fekadu Aga. (2025). Treatment Compliance and Associated Factors Among Hypertensive Patients: An Institution-based Cross-sectional Study. Clinical Nursing Perspectives2(1), 12-23.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/cnp.2025.12.003