Beliefs About Medication as a Mediator in the Relationship Between eHealth Literacy and Medication Adherence Among Older Adults With Multimorbidity: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

BACKGROUND

Medication nonadherence has long been a problem for older adults with multimorbidity. As more and more eHealth apps are being used to improve medication adherence, eHealth literacy (eHL) provides an opportunity for patients to benefit. Therefore, there is a need to identify the relationship between eHL and medication adherence.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the relationship between eHL and medication adherence, and to clarify the role that beliefs about medication play in the relationship.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a community in Xuzhou, China, using a convenience sampling method. Information on eHL, beliefs about medication, and medication adherence were collected through questionnaires. Spearman correlation analysis and structural equation modeling were used to measure the relationship between eHL and adherence to medication, and the mediation effect of beliefs about medications.

RESULTS

A total of 297 adults with multimorbidity were included in this study. The results showed that medication adherence was positively correlated with necessity beliefs ( = 0.321,  < .001) and negatively correlated with concerns ( = -0.644,  < .001). In addition to directly and favorably predicting medication adherence, eHL also had an impact on adherence through the mediating effects of necessity beliefs (β = 0.045, 95% CI: 0.011-0.086) and concerns about medication (β = 0.213, 95% CI: 0.165-0.273).

CONCLUSION

Our findings highlighted the importance of improving eHL, fostering positive recognition of polypharmacy, and alleviating concerns about medicine-taking to improve medication adherence among older adults with multimorbidity.