Association between health literacy and medication adherence in patients with hypertension: a cross-sectional study

This study aimed to determine the levels of medication adherence and health literacy among patients with hypertension at a family health center in eastern Türkiye. This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted in a family health center with 200 hypertensive patients (≥ 18 years). Data were collected using the “Patient Identification Form”, the “Health Literacy Scale”, and the “Short Drug Questionnaire”. The mean score on the Health Literacy Scale was 81.83 ± 13.73, indicating above-average health literacy. The mean score on the Short Drug Questionnaire was 0.62 ± 0.60, with 40.5% of patients showing nonadherence with their medications. Importantly, 40.5% of participants scored ≥ 1 on the BMQ, indicating a clinically meaningful risk of non-adherence in almost half of the sample. The most common reasons for nonadherence were diet (30.5%) and personal beliefs (14.5%). A moderate positive correlation was found between health literacy and medication adherence (r = 0.545, p = 0.023). In the regression analysis, health literacy significantly predicted medication adherence (β = 0.545, p < 0.05), explaining 29.7% of the variance in adherence (R²= 0.297). Participants with higher education, income, and prior disease education showed better medication adherence and higher health literacy scores (p < 0.05). Patients’ medication adherence improved as their health literacy levels increased. These findings highlight the importance of enhancing health literacy to promote better medication adherence in hypertensive individuals. Nurses should implement strategies such as personalized education, effective communication, and regular follow-up to increase patients’ health literacy and ensure consistent medication adherence. © The Author(s) 2025.