Reliability and Validity of Persian Translation of Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (4-Item Version) in Asthmatic Patients

Background: Non-adherence to medication is a significant health problem that affects disease control and increases hospitalization and mortality. One method of evaluating patients’ medication adherence is utilizing standard questionnaires, such as the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS). Objectives: This study evaluated the reliability of the Persian-translated version of the MMAS among asthma patients. Methods: After the English to Persian translation, back-translation was done, examining the word appropriateness to Iranian culture. A panel of experts in related fields evaluated the questionnaire. The final questionnaire was assessed in 62 asthma patients. Results: The participants’ mean age was 49.62 ± 11.39 years (range: 30 - 72), and the mean duration of asthma was 9.05 ± 6.79 years (range: 1 - 35). The reliability of the questionnaire for four items was 0.637 (95% confidence interval: 0.465 - 0.765; P < 0.001). A significant percentage (29.03%) of the subjects had low drug adherence, and only 30.6% had high adherence. There was no significant correlation between drug adherence and asthma duration (P = 0.441). Conclusions: This study shows that drug adherence is linked to asthma control and the quality of life in asthma patients. The Persian translation of the 4-item MMAS is valid to assess adherence to treatment in asthma patients.