Medical order-obeying behavior in 164 patients with essential hypertension

Lijuan FENG; Jixiang LIU; Yanping DUAN

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Medical order-obeying behavior(MOOB) in patients with essential hypertension(EH) cau directly affect the progression and prognosis of the disease. What factors, in turn, affect MOOB?

OBJECTIVE:

To analyze factors affecting MOOB in EH patients.

DESIGN:

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING:

Foreign Guests Ward of Qindu Stomatological Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University of Chinese PLA.

PARTICIPANTS:

A total of 205 patients with EH were admitted into the Foreign Guests Ward of Qindu Stomatological Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University of Chinese PLA from January 1998 to August 2000. Inclusion criteria In accordance with WHO diagnostic criteria for hypertension. Exclusion criteria Diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases. Altogether 164 patients with the mean age of (51 ± 5) years, 122 men and 42 women , accorded to the inclusion criteria.

METHODS:

The 164 patients were investigated with the self-designed questionnaire concerning MOOB in EH patients; patients' sex, educational level, family economic conditions, disease duration and other factors affecting MOOB were observed.MAIN OUTCOME

MEASURES:

Factors related to the patients' MOOB.

RESULTS:

53.0% (87/164) patients followed the medical orders and persisted in exercise therapy, 58.5 % ( 96 / 164 ) patients followed reasonable diet, 51.6% (32/164)patients quitted smoking and alcohol drinking, 82. 3% (135/164) received regular recheck-up, 64.6% (106/164) followed the medicinal treatment prescribed. Sex did not influence MOOB significantly. The rate of medical-order disobedience was higher in illiterate people and those with education below junior middle school level, but lower in those with education above senior middle school level(x2 =7.25, P < 0.01) . The disobedience rate was lower in patients with the mean income of > 500 yuan/month than in those with < 500 yuan/month(x2 = 39.4, P < 0.01),and was also lower in patients with disease duration < 1 year than those with disease duration > 1 year (x2 =5.66, P < 0.05).CONCLUSION; Medical order-obeying behavior in EH patients is poor, and it is significantly influenced by patients' educational level, family economic conditions and disease duration.