Factors associated with medication adherence among adult diabetic patients of Bangladesh

@article{roy2026factors,
  title = {{Factors associated with medication adherence among adult diabetic patients of Bangladesh}},
  author = {Simanta Roy and Mohammad Azmain Iktidar and Mowshomi Mannan Liza and Madhu Ritu Bhadra Medha and Tonmoy Chowdhury and Nasrat Khanam Nila and Arpita Biswangree and Irfat Islam Eva and Nishat Tasnim and Pratik Kumar Banik and Shourov Barua and Mahzabeen Islam and Sreshtha Chowdhury and Gladys Ibanez and Mohammad Delwer Hossain Hawlader},
  journal = {PLOS One},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0343647},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0343647},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Factors associated with medication adherence among adult diabetic patients of Bangladesh
AU  - Simanta Roy
AU  - Mohammad Azmain Iktidar
AU  - Mowshomi Mannan Liza
AU  - Madhu Ritu Bhadra Medha
AU  - Tonmoy Chowdhury
AU  - Nasrat Khanam Nila
AU  - Arpita Biswangree
AU  - Irfat Islam Eva
AU  - Nishat Tasnim
AU  - Pratik Kumar Banik
AU  - Shourov Barua
AU  - Mahzabeen Islam
AU  - Sreshtha Chowdhury
AU  - Gladys Ibanez
AU  - Mohammad Delwer Hossain Hawlader
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/17
JO  - PLOS One
DO  - 10.1371/journal.pone.0343647
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0343647
AB  - Introduction: Medication non-adherence remains a considerable public health concern among diabetic patients in Bangladesh. It can lead to waste of medication, disease progression, a lower quality of life, and increased use of medical resources. The aim of this study is to comprehensively assess the factors associated with medication adherence among diabetic patients in Bangladesh. Materials and methods: A sample of 426 diagnosed diabetic patients was conveniently recruited from government hospitals (secondary and tertiary level), outpatient clinics, and physicians’ private practices between August and September 2023. A pretested semi-structured questionnaire was employed for interviewer-administered data collection. The questionnaire included socio-demographic history, personal characteristics, disease-related information, and a medication adherence rating scale (MARS-5). A multivariable logistic regression model was used to explore the factors associated with medication adherence. Results: The mean age of the participants was 55.49±10.19 years, and half of them were female (50.00%) and lived with a partner (50.70%). The prevalence of poor medication adherence was 42.25% (95% CI: 37.63–47.01%). Participants who lived with a partner (AOR: 1.66, CI: 1.03–2.68), had higher educational status (AOR: 2.65, CI: 1.08–6.54), understanding of all current medication (AOR: 1.69, CI: 1.04–2.77), satisfaction with healthcare (AOR: 2.53, CI: 1.32–4.88) were associated with good medication adherence. Conversely, a higher number of medications (AOR: 0.87, CI: 0.76–1.00), self-medication (AOR: 0.35, CI: 0.18–0.70), and poor mental health (AOR: 0.53, CI: 0.30–0.92) were associated with a lower likelihood of good adherence. Conclusions: Medication non-adherence among diabetic patients is considered to be highly prevalent in Bangladesh. Several factors, including educational status, understanding of medications, satisfaction with healthcare, self-medication, mental health, and number of medications, were associated with medication adherence.
SN  - 1932-6203
ER  -