Financial strain is associated with medication nonadherence and worse self-rated health among cardiovascular patients

Abstract

Non-traditional indicators of socioeconomic status (SES; e.g., home ownership) may be just as or even more predictive of health outcomes as traditional indicators of SES (e.g., income). This study tested whether financial strain (i.e., difficulty paying monthly bills) predicted medication non-adherence and worse self-rated health. Research assistants administered surveys to 1,527 patients with acute coronary syndromes or acute decompensated heart failure. In adjusted models, having a higher income was associated with being more adherent (p