2.2.2. Behavioral Adherence

Eight items from the Condition-specific Recommendations and Adherence scale were used to assess the adherence of patients with different recommended behaviors for patients with hypertension [35]. These behaviors consisted of (1) take prescribed medication daily, (2) follow a low-salt diet, (3) follow a low-fat diet, (4) exercise regularly, (5) stop/cut down on smoking, (6) cut down on alcohol, (7) cut down on stress, and (8) carry supplies needed for self-care. There were six response options for each behavior: 0 = none of the time, 1 = a little of the time, 2 = some of the time, 3 = a good bit of the time, 4 = most of the time, and 5 = all of the time. The total score was 0-40, and patients with 32/40 points were categorized as “overall health behavior adherence”; otherwise, they were categorized into the “overall non-adherence” group [35].