Table 4. Blood pressure control and prescribing in hypertensive patients in US market-based v English NHS by socioeconomic-position (aged 50-64 years).
| England | United States | ||||||||
| Total | Total | Insured | |||||||
| Years of Education | |||||||||
| Low | Medium | High | Low | Medium | High | Low | Medium | High | |
| Systolic BP mean (SE) | 136.9 (1.35) | 131.3 (2.10)‡ | 134.2 (1.46) | 132.8 (1.42) | 131.5 (1.70) | 129.0 (1.45)† | 131.2 (1.50) | 130.6 (1.76) | 128.0 (1.46) |
| Diastolic BP mean (SE) | 81.9 (0.82) | 81.0 (1.47) | 81.1 (0.85) | 84.5 (0.93) | 85.0 (1.04) | 84.9 (0.95) | 83.4 (0.98) | 84.3 (1.00) | 84.0 (0.93) |
| BP <140/90 mmHg, % (SE) | 57.8 (4.17) | 70.3 (6.52) | 64.6 (4.30) | 59.3 (4.18) | 59.7 (4.80) | 68.0 (4.20) | 63.2 (4.46) | 62.5 (5.00) | 70.1 (4.28) |
| BP <150/90 mmHg, % (SE) | 71.9 (3.89) | 76.6 (6.15) | 78.2 (3.71) | 67.4 (4.09) | 70.2 (4.61) | 70.9 (4.21) | 71.7 (4.22) | 72.4 (4.64) | 73.8 (4.22) |
| Anti-hypertensive medication, % (SE) | 53.4 (4.32) | 58.0 (7.06) | 61.3 (4.58) | 78.4 (3.89) | 77.4 (4.23) | 84.4 (3.50) | 84.3 (3.87) | 80.2 (4.01) | 87.2 (3.32) |
BP = Blood Pressure; SE = standard error; Values and significance testing control for age and sex, body mass index, vascular co-morbidity and smoking (age controlled at 57, female sex, non-smoker, no co-morbidity and BMI = 30.2 – the English mean in the age group. Significance tests compare the medium and high SEP groups with the low within each country.
†p<0.05.
‡p<0.01.