Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Summer;20(3):282-9.

Trust in physicians and blood pressure control in blacks and whites being treated for hypertension in the REGARDS study

Raegan W Durant  1 , Leslie A McClure, Jewell H Halanych, Cora E Lewis, Ronald J Prineas, Stephen P Glasser, Monika M Safford
Affiliations

Trust in physicians and blood pressure control in blacks and whites being treated for hypertension in the REGARDS study

Raegan W Durant et al. Ethn Dis. 2010 Summer.

Abstract

Objectives: Among persons treated for hypertension, Blacks are more likely to have uncontrolled blood pressure compared to Whites. Few studies have focused on trust in physicians as a potential contributor to this disparity in blood pressure (BP) control. The primary objective of this study was to assess the relationship between trust in physicians and blood pressure control among Blacks and Whites being treated for hypertension.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data collected from the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke cohort, a US national, population-based cohort study. Participants were recruited by telephone from 2003-2007, completed a telephone survey, and had BP measured during an in-home visit.

Participants: 2843 Black and White adults aged > 45 years with treated hypertension.

Main outcome measures: Uncontrolled blood pressure was defined as systolic blood pressure > 140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure > 90 mm Hg. For participants with diabetes, renal disease, or self-reported previous myocardial infarction, uncontrolled blood pressure was defined as systolic blood pressure > 130 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure > 80 mm Hg.

Results: Trust in physicians was not associated with uncontrolled blood pressure in either unadjusted (odd ratio [OR] 1.07; 95% confidence interval [CI) 0.92, 1.25) or adjusted analyses (OR 0.97; 0.83, 1.14). Both Black race (OR 1.58; 1.36, 1.84) and imperfect medication adherence (OR 1.56; 1.31,1.86) were associated with higher odds of uncontrolled blood pressure.

Conclusions: Trust in physicians was not related to blood pressure control among Blacks and Whites with treated hypertension in this sample. The racial disparity in blood pressure control was not completely explained by trust in physicians or medication adherence, and a better understanding of the mechanisms leading to this disparity is needed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Flowchart describing definition of study population
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Howard G, Prineas R, Moy C, et al. Racial and geographic differences in awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension: The REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke Study. Stroke. 2006;37(5):1171–1178. - PubMed
    1. Ostchega Y, Hughes JP, Wright JD, McDowell MA, Louis T. Are demographic characteristics, health care access and utilization, and comorbid conditions associated with hypertension among US adults? Am J Hypertens. 2008;21(2):159–165. - PubMed
    1. Victor RG, Leonard D, Hess P, et al. Factors Associated With Hypertension Awareness, Treatment, and Control in Dallas County, Texas. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(12):1285–1293. - PubMed
    1. Hertz RP, Unger AN, Cornell JA, Saunders E. Racial Disparities in Hypertension Prevalence, Awareness, and Management. Arch Intern Med. 2005;165(18):2098–2104. - PubMed
    1. Major outcomes in high-risk hypertensive patients randomized to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or calcium channel blocker vs diuretic: The Antihypertensive and Lipid Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT) JAMA. 2002;288(23):2981–2997. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources