Discordant Medication Beliefs in Black Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Diabetes.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of discordant medication beliefs on diabetes self-management and glycemic control in older Black individuals with diabetes and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).

METHODS

Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from two clinical trials testing behavioral interventions to improve glycemic control in older Black primary care patients with diabetes and MCI.

RESULTS

The mean number of discordant medication beliefs was 6 (SD = 3; range 0 to 16). Sixty-seven of 246 (27%) participants held ≥ 9 discordant beliefs (i.e., one SD above the mean), and these participants had worse diabetes self-management and glycemic control than participants with fewer beliefs.

CONCLUSIONS

Discordant medication beliefs, low adherence to diabetes self-management, poor glycemic control, and impaired cognition may exist in a causal relationship. Modifying discordant medication beliefs may eliminate the first step of this pathogenic sequence and reduce risk of cognitive decline in a high-risk population of older Black individuals with diabetes.