Medication-Taking Trajectory and Its Correlates in Patients With Diabetes: Based on the Information–Motivation–Behavioral Skills Model

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose was to identify trajectories of medication taking among patients with diabetes and investigate correlates of these trajectories using the information–motivation–behavioral skills (IMB) model.

Methods

This study employed a descriptive correlational, longitudinal design using convenience sampling. The participants were 96 adults with diabetes from an outpatient diabetes clinic at a university-affiliated hospital. Medication taking was assessed at 3 time points: baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. At baseline, study variables based on the IMB model were measured: medication knowledge (information), motivational readiness and social support (motivation), and medication self-efficacy (behavioral skills). Group-based trajectory modeling was used to identify medication-taking trajectories, and multinomial logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with medication-taking trajectories.

Results

Three distinct medication-taking trajectory groups were identified: “high medication taking,” “increasing medication taking,” and “low medication taking.” Higher medication knowledge was associated with the high and increasing medication-taking trajectory groups. Motivational readiness was associated with the high and increasing medication-taking groups. In contrast, higher medication self-efficacy was associated only with the high medication-taking group, not with the increasing and low medication-taking groups.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that knowledge, motivational readiness, and self-efficacy are essential in IMB model-based intervention strategies across dynamic medication-taking patterns to enhance medication taking. Health care providers can help patients with diabetes improve medication taking by understanding their medication-taking trajectories and their correlates. Strategies that enhance medication self-efficacy are essential for patients in the increasing and low medication-taking groups.