The Association of Medication Adherence and Dietary Adherence with Quality of Life among Patients with Hypertension: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Hypertension is a prevalent chronic disease globally and has a substantial impact on patients’ quality of life. Both medication and dietary adherence are critical for effective hypertension management; however, the extent of their respective contributions to quality of life is not well established, especially in community-based settings in Indonesia. This study investigated the associations between medication adherence, dietary adherence, and quality of life among individuals with hypertension. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted with 172 patients registered at Ngasem Primary Health Center in Kediri, Indonesia. Participants were selected using simple random sampling. Medication adherence was measured with the eight-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, dietary adherence with a DASH-based questionnaire, and quality of life with the WHOQOL-BREF. Descriptive statistics summarized participant characteristics. Associations between categorical variables were analyzed using the chi-square test, and ordinal logistic regression was performed to identify the strongest predictor of quality of life. Medication and dietary adherence were both significantly associated with quality of life (p < 0.001). After adjustment for medication adherence, dietary adherence remained the strongest predictor. Participants with low dietary adherence were substantially less likely to report a higher quality of life than those with high adherence (OR = 0.005; 95% CI: 0.002–0.014). These findings highlight the importance of integrating dietary interventions with pharmacological treatment to improve the well-being of patients with hypertension