ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Drugs Outcomes Research and Policies
Exploring Medication Adherence in Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Provisionally accepted
- 1Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, United States
- 2Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles, United States
- 3Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, United States
- 4Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Philadelphia, United States
- 5Tufts Medical Center, Boston, United States
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Medication adherence is a persistent challenge, particularly among racial/ethnic minority populations who encounter cultural and contextual barriers. While adherence has been widely studied, less is known about the everyday experiences that shape medication-taking behaviors. The objective was to explore the practices, routines, and contextual factors associated with home medication management among individuals from racial/ethnic minority groups, with a focus on identifying perceived challenges and facilitators to adherence. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 adults from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds receiving prescription medication. Transcripts were analyzed thematically to identify patterns and contextual influences on adherence. Themes related to facilitators and barriers to adherence were identified. Facilitators included visual cues and linking medication to daily routines, with a change in routine a common reason for missed doses. Notably nearly half (45%) of participants described mentally retracing their steps to recall medication-taking at a later point in the day. Over half (55%) of participants reported providing or receiving support from others in their household. Family experiences along with cultural factors—including mistrust of doctors, preference for herbal remedies, and an emphasis on self-care—emerged as potential influences on medication behaviors. These findings highlight how behavioral cues and social supports influence adherence among racial/ethnic minority patients. While limited by the small sample, the study underscores opportunities for culturally responsive, behaviorally informed interventions that can be integrated into patients’ everyday lives and provides a foundation for future investigations.
Keywords: Medication Adherence, Racial/ethnic minorities, qualitative research, Home medication management, Facilitators to adherence
Received: 21 Jul 2025; Accepted: 24 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chery, Gualtieri, Lee, Sheng, Singhal and Ramos. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Lisa Gualtieri, lisa.gualtieri@tufts.edu
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