Habitual Hypertension Medication Adherence in Arizona

Habitual Hypertension Medication Adherence in Arizona

This research will implement a novel habit formation intervention among people living with hypertension and an indication of medication non-adherence to help maintain high anti-hypertensive (AH) medication adherence by leveraging the power of routines and unconsciously triggered habitual behaviors. The investigators will test whether high AH medication adherence can be maintained using contextually-cued medication adherence habits that mitigate the negative effects of declining motivation, forgetfulness, and the cognitive burden of performing repeated daily behaviors. The use of mHealth tools will help to make this a scalable and sustainable intervention approach for addressing an important healthcare issue in Arizona.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 18 years old or older
• Currently diagnosed with hypertension (either stage I or stage II hypertension)
• Able to read/write/understand English
• Have daily access to a smartphone
• Engaged in hypertension care (i.e., already been prescribed antihypertensive medication for a minimum of 12 months at the time of study enrollment)
• Demonstrated antihypertensive medication nonadherence by having over 73 days without documented antihypertensive medication prescription coverage (observable in Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) prescription drugs claims) in the past 12 months (i.e., >80% mean adherence)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Less than 18 years old
• Does not have current hypertension diagnosis
• Unable to read/write/understand English
• Does not have daily access to a smartphone
• Not currently engaged in hypertension care
• Has not demonstrated antihypertensive medication nonadherence within the past 12 months