Behavioral Economics to Improve Antihypertensive Therapy Adherence

Summary

Hypertension represents a major cardiovascular risk factor that can be controlled through the use of medications, yet medication non-adherence represents a common problem that leaves patients at elevated risk for adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Interventions to improve medication adherence have thus far been either unsuccessful or unsustainable. The investigators propose an intervention that leverages insights from behavioral economics to improve medication adherence among hypertensive patients. Strong data indicates that linking the taking of medications to daily routines ('anchoring') increases adherence, however, existing interventions built on this information have failed to create successful, long term improvements in medication adherence. This study aims to leverage behavioral economic insights to improve medication adherence to antihypertensive medications.

Conditions

• Hypertension
• Medication Adherence

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Text Message

A key insight from BE is that people typically are initially highly motivated to change their behavior, but their enthusiasm declines over time.103 To keep the importance of routinizing pill-taking salient (i.e. high on a person's mental priority list), we will send daily text messages using a freely available web platform.

BEHAVIORAL

Behavior Economic Incentive

In this group, participants will be eligible for a prize drawing if they take their medication within +/- 1 hour of the time they carry out their existing routine behavior on at least 80% of days between clinic visits.

BEHAVIORAL

Text Message

A key insight from BE is that people typically are initially highly motivated to change their behavior, but their enthusiasm declines over time.103 To keep the importance of routinizing pill-taking salient (i.e. high on a person's mental priority list), we will send daily text messages using a freely available web platform.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• RAND

  collaborator OTHER

• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

  collaborator NIH

• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2022-04-19

Primary Completion

2024-02-01

Completion

2024-07-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations