A systematic review of interventions using health behavioral theories to improve medication adherence among patients with hypertension

Medication adherence is a major problem in the treatment of hypertension. Approximately half of the patients who use antihypertensive medications are not adherent. Several interventions have endeavored to improve medication adherence among patients with hypertension, and some have used health behavioral models/theories. However, the quality and effectiveness of using health behavioral models/theories in improving medication adherence among patients with hypertension remain unknown. The main aim of this systematic review was to describe study characteristics and types of health behavioral models/theories used in interventions for improving medication adherence among adults with hypertension. PubMed, Scopus, Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases were searched for randomized clinical trial interventions using any health behavioral models/theories published in English from 1979 to 2019. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, two independent reviewers searched, screened abstracts and articles, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias and the use of the model/theory using the Theory Coding Scheme. A total of 11 articles were included in this systematic review. Two studies reported significant improvement in medication adherence. The Self-Regulation Model and Social Cognitive Theory were the most common types of models/theories. Nine studies used a single model/theory, and four studies measured the constructs of a model/theory. Risk of bias was good (n = 4) and fair (n = 5) in interventions. Using health behavioral models/theories may be an efficient way for health care professionals to improve adherence to medications among patients with hypertension. More interventions with rigorous designs are needed that appropriately utilize health behavioral models/theories for improving medication adherence among adults with hypertension.