The effect of Health Belief Model-based educational intervention on medication adherence in patients diagnosed with dyslipidemia and initiated on statin therapy

Aim In this study, education based on the Health Belief Model was prepared to investigate its effect on medication adherence in patients diagnosed with dyslipidemia who had started statin treatment but were not taking the medication regularly. Method The research was planned as a randomized controlled trial to measure the results of the health education provided. The study was conducted between April and July 2023 with participants aged 45-65 who were registered in the Family Health Centers of Dokuz Eylül University and had been diagnosed with dyslipidemia and started statin treatment but reported not using the medication regularly within the last 6 months. Data collection tools included the "Sociodemographic Data Form," the "Health Belief Model Scale for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention," and the "Medication Adherence Reporting Scale." Participants were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups through a computer program prepared in advance. The intervention group received education based on the Health Belief Model (HBM), while the control group received standard information. Both groups were given written educational material (brochure) and verbal information on preventing heart and vascular diseases and stroke obtained from the website of the Turkish Ministry of Health's General Directorate of Public Health. In addition to the intervention, the intervention group received HBM-based education and written educational material (brochure) prepared by the researcher. After the education, medication adherence behavior between the intervention and control groups was assessed using the Medication Adherence Reporting Scale. The data of the study were analyzed in SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science for Windows 24.0) software. Findings Of the 134 participants in the study, 67 were in the intervention group and 67 were in the control group. After the implementation of education based on the Health Belief Model, the total score of the Medication Adherence Reporting Scale in the intervention group was calculated as an average of 21.94±2.92, while it was an average of 19.1±2.34 in the control group. The intervention group showed a significantly higher score (p<0.001). After the intervention, in the Health Belief Model scale for cardiovascular disease, the perceived seriousness, perceived benefits, and self-efficacy sections were statistically significantly higher in the intervention group (p<0.001 for all), while the barriers section of the cardiovascular disease scale did not show a significant difference between the groups (p=0.790). Conclusion Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. To prevent this situation, the most important strategy is to prevent modifiable risk factors (smoking, dyslipidemia, hypertension, obesity, etc.) that contribute to the development of cardiovascular diseases. Unfortunately, in many studies, the adherence to cholesterollowering medication (statin) treatment and dietary changes is not at the desired level. The HBM-based education we used in our study significantly increased statin therapy adherence. However, further studies are needed to generalize this result to the community. Keywords: Cardiovascular Disease, Medication Adherence, Dyslipidemia, Health Belief Model.