Table 1.
Distribution of patient related and doctor related characteristics in special care and usual care groups. Values are numbers (percentages) unless stated otherwise
| Variables | Total (n=200) | Special care* group (n=100) | Usual care† group (n=100) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient related characteristics | ||||
| Mean (95% CI) age (years) | 55.3 (53.8 to 56.8) | 56.5 (55.3 to 57.6) | 54.4 (51.3 to 57.6) | 0.820 |
| Sex: | ||||
| Male | 75 (37.5) | 36 | 39 | 0.680 |
| Female | 125 (62.5) | 64 | 61 | |
| Monthly household income (US$): | ||||
| 25-<75 | 43 (21.5) | 25 | 18 | 0.312 |
| 75-<116 | 55 (27.5) | 28 | 27 | |
| 116-200 | 43 (21.5) | 20 | 23 | |
| >200 | 59 (29.5) | 27 | 32 | |
| Education status‡: | ||||
| Illiterate | 50 (25.0) | 24 | 26 | 0.611 |
| Primary school | 71 (35.5) | 34 | 37 | |
| Secondary school | 60 (30.0) | 31 | 29 | |
| Graduate and above | 19 (9.5) | 11 | 8 | |
| Currently employed: | ||||
| Yes | 78 (39.0) | 42 | 36 | 0.416 |
| No | 122 (61.0) | 58 | 64 | |
| Marital status: | ||||
| Married | 159 (79.5) | 86 | 73 | 0.106 |
| Widowed or single | 41 (20.5) | 14 | 27 | |
| Family type§: | ||||
| Nuclear | 125 (62.5) | 61 | 64 | 0.322 |
| Extended | 75 (37.5) | 39 | 36 | |
| Encouraged by family to take drugs: | ||||
| Yes | 156 (78.0) | 79 | 77 | 0.740 |
| No | 44 (22.0) | 21 | 23 | |
| Belief in taking antihypertensive drugs: | ||||
| Yes | 167 (83.5) | 84 | 83 | 0.600 |
| No | 33 (16.5) | 16 | 17 | |
| Diabetes: | ||||
| Yes | 53 (26.5) | 26 | 27 | 0.822 |
| No | 147 (73.5) | 74 | 73 | |
| Accompanied to clinic by family member: | ||||
| Yes | 128 (64.0) | 63 | 65 | 0.840 |
| No | 72 (36.0) | 37 | 35 | |
| Antihypertensive drugs perceived as costly¶: | ||||
| Yes | 152 (76.0) | 71 | 81 | 0.011 |
| No | 48 (24.0) | 29 | 19 | |
| Doctor related characteristics | ||||
| Mean (95% CI) monthly cost of antihypertensive drugs (US$) | 178 (89.0) | 4.67 (4.2-5.1) | 4.87 (4.6-5.0) | 0.981 |
| Frequency of prescribed drug: | ||||
| Once a day | 54 (27.0) | 28 | 26 | 0.742 |
| Twice a day | 146 (73.0) | 72 | 74 | |
| Satisfactory attitude of doctor: | ||||
| Yes | 179 (89.5) | 91 | 88 | 0.369 |
| No | 21 (10.5) | 9 | 12 | |
| Patient told of drug name: | ||||
| Yes | 171 (85.5) | 86 | 85 | 0.833 |
| No | 29 (14.5) | 14 | 15 | |
| Explained purpose of drug(s) to patient: | ||||
| Yes | 54 (27.0) | 37 | 17 | 0.013 |
| No | 146 (73.0) | 63 | 83 | |
| Self reported consultation time (minutes): | ||||
| <10 | 84 (42.0) | 35 | 49 | 0.038 |
| ≥10 | 116 (58.0) | 65 | 51 | |
*Care given by general practitioners intensively trained in management of hypertension.
†Usual care given by general practitioners in the community.
‡Primary=1-5 years of schooling; secondary=6-12 years of schooling; graduate or above=12 years of schooling or above.
§Nuclear family defined as household consisting of two parents and their children; extended family defined as household in which multiple generations of a family were living together.
¶Self reported to assess whether patient finds drugs prescribed by doctor costly.