• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.93-106
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• 2003

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the treatment status and its related factors of the rural hypertensives. Methods: A questionnaire survey was performed to 618 rural hypertensives during September, 2002. Results: The proportion of those who were compliant to the antihypertensive medication was 68.9%. The compliance rate to the antihypertensive medication was significantly related with sex and economic status(p<0.05). That is, if they were female, higher economic level, the regular antihypertensive medication rate was higher. The regular antihypertensive medication rate was higher when they had higher knowledge for hypertension, higher severity for hypertension of him or her(p<0.01). And the compliance rate to the antihypertensive medication was significantly related with hypertensives' own explanatory model for hypertension(p<0.01). The rate of drug use except antihypertensives was 12.5%. The rate of drug use except antihypertensives was higher when they experienced side effects of antihypertensive drug and when they had irregular medication for antihypertensive drug(p<0.01). The rate of medical equipment use was 18.9%. The utilization rate of medical equipment such as jade mat, germanium material was significantly related with age, experience of side effects of antihypertensive drug, medication status for antihypertensive drug(p<0.05). The rate of folk therapy use was 16.2%. The rate of folk therapy use was higher when they had no family, when they had knowledge about hypertension on the average, when they had hypertension over 10 years(p<0.05), and when they experienced side effects of antihypertensive drug and when they had irregular medication for antihypertensive drug(p<0.01). The rates of drug use except antihypertensives, medical equipment use, and folk therapy were significantly related with hypertensives' own explanatory model for hypertension(p<0.05). Conclusions: On consideration of above findings, it would be essential to provide knowledge about hypertension and its treatment, and severity of hypertension complications through health education.