HEALTH LITERACY
Description
The Relationship Between Health Literacy And Compliance With Antihypertensive Drug Treatment In Geriatric Individuals With Hypertension: A Cross-sectional Study Abstract Introduction: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between health literacy and compliance with antihypertensive drug therapy in older individuals. Methods: This is a cross-sectional and descriptive study conducted using questionnaires and scales. The study population consisted of individuals aged 65 years who were hospitalised in cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, internal medicine and nephrology wards in a state hospital between 01.01.2021 and 30.06.2021 and who had a diagnosis of HT and used antihypertensive drugs. The data collection forms used in the study were: Descriptive characteristics data collection form, Antihypertensive Drug Treatment Compliance Scale (TC) and Turkish Health Literacy Scale-32 (TSOY-32). Results: The sample size of this study is 289 people. The individuals’ mean age was 73.15 years. Of the individuals, 47% had hypertension for ≥180 months. Women’s health literacy levels were higher and the majority of those with perfect health literacy were illiterate. The majority of the elderly individuals (27.8%) participating in the study had insufficient health literacy, whereas 87.7% of the women had excellent health literacy. As the age increases, the level of health literacy also increases. 85.6% of individuals are compatible with antihypertensive drug therapy. 84.4% of those who had a blood pressure monitor at home and 15.6% of those who did not have a blood pressure monitor at home were compliant with the treatment. No significant relationship was found between health literacy levels and compliance with antihypertensive drug therapy in this study. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop a HL scale specific to hypertensive patients to determine their health literacy levels. Key Words: Hypertension, elderly individual, health literacy, antihypertensive drug therapy