Table 2.
Multivariate regression analyses of sociodemographic characteristics and health care access as predictors of thyroid hormone use in NHANES participants with hypothyroidism
| Variables | All Participants (n = 698) | Excluding Those with Untreated Subclinical Hypothyroidism (n = 583) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | OR | 95% CI | OR | 95% CI |
| Men | Ref | Ref | Ref | |
| Women | 2.66 | 1.42–4.99 | 1.17 | 0.35–3.84 |
| Age group | ||||
| 20–44 | Ref | Ref | Ref | |
| 45–69 | 7.25 | 4.15–12.67 | 8.62 | 3.58–20.76 |
| 70 years and over | 11.00 | 5.30–22.79 | 15.56 | 5.79–41.79 |
| Race/ethnicity | ||||
| Non-Hispanic white | Ref | Ref | Ref | |
| Hispanic | 0.96 | 0.41–2.22 | 0.92 | 0.21–4.08 |
| Non-Hispanic black | 2.21 | 0.55–8.92 | 1.30 | 0.21–8.01 |
| Education | ||||
| Did not complete HS | Ref | Ref | Ref | |
| Completed HS | 1.82 | 0.78–4.20 | 1.69 | 0.50–5.72 |
| Completed college | 1.91 | 0.76–4.76 | 2.11 | 0.53–8.44 |
| Household income ($) | ||||
| 0–45 000 | Ref | Ref | Ref | |
| 45 000–10 0000 | 0.67 | 0.34–1.32 | 0.87 | 0.26–2.86 |
| Above 100 000 | 0.99 | 0.46–2.12 | 3.34 | 0.76–14.70 |
| Access to routine care | ||||
| No | Ref | Ref | Ref | |
| Yes | 14.32 | 3.63–56.58 | 20.13 | 3.34–121.26 |
Subclinical hypothyroidism was defined as a TSH level between 5.6 and 9.9 mIU/L with an FT4 ≥0.6ng/mL.
Abbreviations: FT4, free thyroxine; HS, high school; NHANES, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; Ref, reference; TSH, thyroid-stimulating hormone.