Table 3.
Baseline Characteristics Among 187 African Americans Admitted to an Urban Hospital With Severe, Poorly Controlled Hypertension
| Characteristics | Overall (N=187) |
|---|---|
| Died | 89 (47.6) |
| Demographics | |
| Age, mean (SD), y | 51.0 (12.1) |
| Women | 102 (54.6) |
| Finished high school or equivalenta | 99 (53.2) |
| Currently employed full or part‐time | 55 (29.4) |
| Currently married | 47 (25.1) |
| Uninsuredb | 64 (34.2) |
| Self‐reported per‐capita monthly income, mean (SD), $c | 562.4 (754.9) |
| Disease characteristics | |
| Duration of hypertension diagnosis, mean (SD), yd | 14.5 (11.9) |
| Systolic blood pressure, mean (SD), mm Hg | 201.8 (18.7) |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mean (SD), mm Hg | 122.9 (13.9) |
| Comorbidities | |
| End‐stage renal disease | 28 (15.0) |
| HIV | 11 (5.9) |
| APR‐DRG risk of mortality | |
| Level 1 “minor” | 79 (42.3) |
| Level 2 “moderate” | 68 (36.4) |
| Level 3 “major” | 36 (19.3) |
| Level 4 “extreme” | 4 (2.1) |
| APR‐DRG disease complexity scores | |
| Level 1 “minor” | 17 (9.1) |
| Level 2 “moderate” | 95 (50.8) |
| Level 3 “major” | 66 (35.3) |
| Level 4 “extreme” | 9 (4.8) |
| Substance use | |
| Current tobacco use | 97 (51.9) |
| Current heavy alcohol usee | 24 (12.8) |
| Current heroin and/or cocaine usef | 59 (31.6) |
| Adherenceg | |
| Missed medications prior to admission | 136 (72.7) |
| Nonadherent: prescription refill | 60 (32.1) |
| Nonadherent: pill taking | 80 (42.8) |
Abbreviations: APR‐DRG, All Patient Refined Diagnostic Related Groups; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; SD, standard deviation. Values are expressed as number (percentage) unless otherwise indicated. aPercentage was calculated for 186 participants since high‐school status was missing in one person (<1%). bInsurance status defined through a combination of self‐report, chart review, and hospital billing data. cSelf‐reported per‐capita monthly income based on 169 participants (18 missing, <10%). dSelf‐reported duration of hypertension diagnosis based on 185 participants (2 missing, 1%). eCurrent heavy alcohol use defined as greater than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men by self‐report. fCurrent heroin and/or cocaine used defined as use of either substance within 2 weeks of hospital admission by self‐report or positive urine toxicology. gSee Table 1 for survey questions and definitions.