Background:

Lack of compliance with medication prescription is common among older adults and hamper an adequate management of chronic conditions.

Aim:

To study the association between health literacy and medication adherence in older adults with chronic diseases in Temuco, Chile.

Material and Methods:

The Health Literacy survey for Spanish-speaking Adults, MiniMental examination and the Morisky-Green test to assess compliance with medication prescription were applied to 119 older adults aged 60 to 88 years.

Results:

All participants had an adequate global cognitive performance; 24% had inadequate literacy, and 42% did not comply with medication prescription. There was a significant correlation between health literacy and medication adherence.

Conclusions:

Health literacy influences medication adherence in Chilean older adults.