Deary and colleagues examined whether verbal intelligence is associated with persisting to take medication for up to two years. The design was a prospective follow-up of compliance with taking medication in high-risk individuals participating in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial set in Central Scotland. Participants were 1993 people aged between 50 and 77 years with an ankle brachial index

WHAT THE STUDY MAY MEAN TO YOU AS A HEALTH CARE PROVIDER: The authors concluded that persistence with potentially helpful health behaviors in the face of uncertainty might partly explain why people with higher intelligence live longer and suffer less morbidity from chronic diseases.

WHAT THE STUDY MAY MEAN TO YOU AS A PATIENT: The conclusions reached by the authors are likely true, but they also present a challenge to anyone designing self-management programs for patients at all levels of intelligence. They show that a program must be designed for individual patients if it is to be effective. This can include general reading materials appropriate for all levels of reading capability with extra components tailored for individual patients.

IJ Deary et al. Intelligence and persisting with medication for two years: Analysis in a randomized controlled trial. Intelligence, 2009;37(6):607-612.