Elderly patients with hypertension self-perceived of aging status and compliance with medical behaviour.

ABSTRACT

At present, it is rare for studies to be performed on the impact of self-perceptions of aging on the compliance behaviour of elderly people.The present study explored the relationship between self-perceived of aging level and compliance behavior among asample of elderly Chinese hypertension patients. Participants (N=1129) were recruited from four community health service centres and two township hospitals in Suzhou. Self-perceptions of aging represent an independent risk factor for compliance behaviour in elderly patients with hypertension. Self-perceptions of aging had acute/chronic timeliness (OR=0.793), periodic timeliness (OR=1.439), emotional representation (OR=0.735), positive results (OR=1.322), and identity latitude (OR=0.995). Gender (OR=1.390), age (OR=1.982), residence (OR=7.037), hypertension grade (OR=0.598), sleep (OR=1.709), number of hospital admissions in a year (OR=2.757), number of daily uses of antihypertensive drugs (OR=0.338), and frequency of blood pressure measurement (OR=0.387) were independent factors affecting the compliance behavior of elderly patients with hypertension. The results suggest that self-perceptions of aging can be used as an indirect index to monitor the compliance behaviour of the elderly. In the future medical staff should combine the characteristics of the elderly patients with hypertension, which would help them to establish a positive self-perception of aging, thus improving their compliance behaviour, and the levels of health and literacy.