Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Prevalence, Treatment, and Control of Hypertension, USA

Main Category: Hypertension
Article Date: 19 Jan 2005 - 0:00 PST

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High blood pressure (HBP) is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, end-stage renal disease, and peripheral vascular disease and is a chief contributor to adult disability (1). Approximately one in four adults in the United States has hypertension (2).

Although effective therapy has been available for more than 50 years (3), most persons with hypertension do not have their blood pressure (BP) under control (4). National health objectives for 2010 include reducing the proportion of adults with HBP to 16% (baseline: 28%), increasing the proportion of adults with hypertension who are taking action to control it to 95% (baseline: 82%), and increasing the proportion of adults with controlled BP to 50% (baseline: 18%) (5).

During 1990--2000, the prevalence of hypertension, the percentage of those with hypertension who were aware of their condition, and treatment and control of hypertension increased among non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, and Hispanics (6,7). CDC analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) for 1999--2002.

This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which determined that racial/ethnic disparities in awareness of, treatment for, and control of hypertension persist. If national health objectives are to be met, public health efforts must continue to focus on the prevention of HBP and must improve awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension among minority populations.

NHANES is a stratified, multistage probability sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population. Both the survey interview population of 7,000 U.S. adults aged >20 years and the 5,000 respondents who completed the health examination each year included oversamples of low-income persons, persons aged >60 years, blacks, and Mexican Americans.

The analysis described in this report is based on data from those persons who were non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, or Mexican American with BP measurements. Pregnant women were excluded from the analysis. Hypertension was defined as having an average systolic BP >140 mm Hg or diastolic BP >90 mm Hg or taking BP medication. BP measures were based on the average of three BP readings.

Persons with hypertension were considered 1) to be aware of their condition if they reported in the interview that a health-care professional had told them their BP was high, 2 ) to have been treated if they reported using antihypertensive medication, and 3) to have controlled BP if they were hypertensive but their BP measurements were <140/90 mm Hg. Statistical software was used to obtain weighted population estimates, age-specific and age-standardized prevalences and proportions, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs)…….. CONTINUES………. www.cdc.gov/mmwr

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