Study: Rural folks fail to follow diabetes medication

Chennai: The prevalence of non-adherence to medications i.e. not following prescribed medication is common among diabetics in rural areas in Tamil Nadu, reveals a study by Indian Journal of Community Medicine.

The study conducted in 34 villages says that rural population in Tamil Nadu has a prevalence of low adherence to diabetic medication of about 45.4 percent. The study was conducted among 328 type 2 diabetic patients and data were collected from diabetic patients and health-care providers to identify their perceived barriers for patient's non-adherence.

The study evaluated the prevalence of medication adherence based on socio-demographic factors, place of treatment, satisfaction, cost of treatment, type of treatment, satisfaction with treatment and perceived knowledge about diabetes, complications, and effects of missing doses.

Significant factors associated with low adherence for medication were found to be illiteracy, not having co-morbid condition such as hypertension, poor satisfaction with government health facility, perceived poor satisfaction with doctor–patient relationship, perceived lack of knowledge about diabetes, perceived lack of knowledge about effect of missing doses, and initial years of having diabetes.

Other factors like distance, travel, lack of transport to health facility, inaccessible timing of the health facility, cost of drugs in private hospitals, and side effects also contributed to non-adherence to diabetes medication.

The study concluded that epidemiological transition of India shows that prevalence of diabetes is increasing and it is becoming common in rural areas also, where people are dependent on the primary health system to address their health concerns. 

Hence, researchers and medicos emphasised that there is a need to strengthen the existing non-communicable disease setup of the primary health-care system in not only providing drugs but also in providing quality health education and quality care to promote drug adherence leading to better health outcomes among patients.