TY - JOUR AU - Gentil, Lia AU - Vasiliadis, Helen-Maria AU - Preville, Michel AU - Berbiche, Djamal PY - 2015 TI - Adherence to Oral Antihyperglycemic Agents Among Older Adults With Mental Disorders and Its Effect on Health Care Costs, Quebec, Canada, 2005-2008 T2 - Preventing Chronic Disease JO - Prev Chronic Dis SP - E230 VL - 12 CY - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA. N2 - INTRODUCTION Nonadherence to oral antihyperglycemic agents (OHAs) leads to an increase in use of health care resources and overall expenditures due to type 2 diabetes and its complications. People with type 2 diabetes are almost twice as likely to have anxiety and depression as the general population. Our aim was to examine health care costs associated with adherence to OHAs and the effect of depression and anxiety disorders on these in older adults with type 2 diabetes. METHODS We used data from a representative sample (N = 2,811) of community-dwelling adults in Quebec aged 65 years or older who participated in the Etude sur la Sante des Aines survey. The final sample consisted of 301 participants who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and who were taking OHAs. Total health care costs were calculated as the sum of the costs of hospitalizations and outpatient clinic services. Adherence to OHAs was measured using the medication possession ratio. Depression and anxiety disorders were assessed using criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition. We also analyzed data by the Charlson Comorbidity Index, age, sex, education, and marital status, using generalized linear models. RESULTS Nonadherence among people without depression or anxiety was associated with higher total health care costs ($4,477; 95% confidence interval [CI], $3,754-$5,201; P < .001), as was nonadherence among people with depression or anxiety ($11,124; 95% CI, $9,685-$12,562; P < .001). CONCLUSION Improving adherence to OHAs among people with type 2 diabetes, particularly those with underlying mental disorders such as depression or anxiety, can decrease health care costs. SN - 1545-1151 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd12.150412 DO - 10.5888/pcd12.150412 ER -