Association Between Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Acceptability and Treatment Adherence Among Older Adults: Implications for Future Digital Health Interventions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25047/ijhitech.v4i2.7458Keywords:
Tuberculosis, Anti-tuberculosis drugs, Acceptability, Treatment adherence, Older adultsAbstract
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global public health problem requiring prolonged treatment with anti-tuberculosis drugs (ATDs). Treatment success largely depends on adherence, which may be influenced by medication acceptability. This study aimed to examine the association between ATD acceptability and treatment adherence among older adults with TB at Dr. H. A. Rotinsulu Lung Hospital, Bandung, Indonesia. An analytical observational study with a cross-sectional design was conducted among 94 older adults receiving ATD therapy using total sampling. Medication acceptability and treatment adherence were assessed using the validated Medication Acceptability Questionnaire (MAQ) and 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8), respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Fisher's exact test, with crude odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) calculated to estimate the strength of the association. High medication acceptability was observed in 60 participants (63.8%), while 84 (89.4%) were adherent. A significant association was observed between medication acceptability and treatment adherence (p = 0.010). High acceptability was associated with higher odds of adherence (crude OR = 8.92, 95% CI: 1.77–44.96). Future implementation research may explore integrating medication acceptability assessment into digital health services and healthcare information systems to support personalized adherence monitoring.
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