Hypertension control and access to medical care in the inner city

Objectives. This study assessed hypertension control among high-risk African Americans. Methods. We interviewed 583 African Americans aged 18 years and older residing in 438 randomly selected inner-city households. Results. Forty-two percent of the respondents were hypertensive. Blood pressure was uncontrolled in 74% of hypertensive persons, although 64% of hypertensive persons reported having seen a physician within the previous 3 months. Hypertension control was associated with female gender and higher socioeconomic strata but not with public versus private sources of medical care. Conclusions. Hypertension control is inadequate in this population, although health care services are used frequently. Hypertension control efforts should focus on the effectiveness of health care delivery.