Older adults with chronic conditions who live alone are less likely to take their medications as prescribed. (Image courtesy of Kobiz Media)
SEOUL, Apr. 29 (Korea Bizwire) – A new study has found that older adults with chronic conditions who live alone are less likely to take their medications as prescribed compared to those living with family members.
Poor medication adherence among patients requiring long-term treatment for chronic illnesses can lead to reduced treatment efficacy, increased adverse effects, and higher societal health care costs, making it a significant public health issue.
The research, published in the latest issue of Health Economics and Policy Review by a team led by professor Han Euna from the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Yonsei University, utilized data from the 2018 Korea Health Panel Survey conducted by the National Health Insurance Service and Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs to minimize potential confounding factors related to COVID-19.
From the survey participants, the study focused on 3,579 individuals aged 65 or older with chronic conditions, categorized into four household types: older adults living alone, older couples without children, older adults living with children but without a spouse, and older couples living with children.
The findings revealed that medication adherence was highest at 83.45% among older couples living with children, followed by older adults living with children but without a spouse at 82.33%. Older couples without children had a 79.88% adherence rate, while older adults living alone had the lowest adherence at 74.25%.
These results suggest that family support plays a positive role in promoting medication adherence among older adults with chronic illnesses.
“We need to pay attention to the higher medication adherence observed in households with children compared to couples without children for those aged 65 and above with chronic conditions,” the researchers noted in the paper. “This implies that emotional support from children contributes positively to the mental health of older adults.”
The team emphasized that “to improve medication adherence, national and local governments should actively consider implementing measures to increase contact between older adults and their children.”
According to Statistics Korea, the number of single-person households headed by older adults reached 1.9 million in 2022, an 8.2% increase from the previous year. These households now account for 9.1% of all households in South Korea, meaning one in 10 households is an older adult living alone.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
