Results of Poisson regression with generalised estimating equations to investigate the relationship between stroke incidence and medication adherence
| Variables | Stroke | ||
| Adjusted RR | 95% CI | p Value | |
| Medication adherence (medical possession rate, MPR) | |||
| High adherence (MPR≥0.8) | 1.00 | – | |
| Intermediate adherence (0.5≤MPR<0.8) | 1.13 | 1.06 to 1.21 | 0.0004 |
| Poor adherence (MPR<0.5) | 1.27 | 1.17 to 1.38 | <0.0001 |
| Age | |||
| 30–49 | 1.00 | – | |
| 50–59 | 1.73 | 1.46 to 2.04 | <0.0001 |
| 60–69 | 2.90 | 2.39 to 3.52 | <0.0001 |
| 70 | 4.76 | 3.83 to 5.93 | <0.0001 |
| Sex | |||
| Men | 1.00 | – | |
| Women | 0.77 | 0.68 to 0.87 | <0.0001 |
| Income | |||
| Medical aid | 1.39 | 0.93 to 2.06 | 0.1049 |
| Low (0%–20%) | 1.00 | – | |
| Middle (20.1%–80%) | 0.94 | 0.87 to 1.03 | 0.1741 |
| High (80.1%–100%) | 0.98 | 0.88 to 1.09 | 0.7204 |
| Region | |||
| Urban | 1.00 | – | |
| Rural | 1.22 | 1.10 to 1.35 | 0.0002 |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index | 1.05 | 1.01 to 1.09 | 0.0081 |
| Metabolic syndrome | |||
| Absence | 1.00 | – | |
| Presence | 1.09 | 1.03 to 1.14 | 0.0016 |
| Family history of stroke | |||
| Absence | 1.00 | – | |
| Presence | 1.13 | 1.03 to 1.24 | 0.0110 |
| Number of antihypertensive medication | |||
| One | 1.00 | – | |
| More than 1 | 1.03 | 0.97 to 1.10 | 0.3651 |
| Duration of hypertension (year) | |||
| ≤2 | 1.00 | ||
| 2–5 | 1.16 | 1.09 to 1.24 | <0.0001 |
| 5–10 | 1.44 | 1.30 to 1.60 | <0.0001 |
| Year | |||
| 2009 | 1.00 | – | |
| 2010 | 2.58 | 2.39 to 2.77 | <0.0001 |
| 2011 | 1.99 | 1.86 to 2.12 | <0.0001 |
| 2012 | 1.66 | 1.58 to 1.73 | <0.0001 |
| 2013 | 1.25 | 1.17 to 1.33 | <0.0001 |
RR, relative risk.