TABLE I.
Characteristics of Study Participants on Medication-Taking Consistency in Hypertensive African Americans (N = 190)
| Characteristics | Total | Two or More Medications | More than Two Medications | P Value or χ2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD), y | 54 (12.08) | 52 (11.92) | 59 (11.16) | .001 |
| Sex, No. (%) | ||||
| Female | 168 (88) | 131 (69) | 37 (19) | .158 |
| Male | 22 (12) | 19 (10) | 3 (2) | |
| Marital status, No. (%) | ||||
| Single | 84 (44) | 72 (38) | 12 (6) | .009 |
| Married | 33 (17) | 29 (15) | 4 (2) | |
| Separated | 58 (31) | 42 (22) | 16 (8) | |
| Widower | 15 (8) | 8 (4) | 7 (4) | |
| Education, No. (%) | ||||
| Elementary | 44 (23) | 33 (17) | 11 (6) | .698 |
| High school/GED | 85 (45) | 69 (36) | 16 (8) | |
| Some college | 61 (32) | 49 (26) | 12 (6) | |
| Employment, No. (%) | ||||
| Full-time | 29 (15) | 26 (14) | 3 (2) | .412 |
| Part-time | 13 (7) | 11 (6) | 2 (1) | |
| Retired | 20 (11) | 14 (7) | 6 (3) | |
| Not working | 103 (54) | 79 (42) | 24 (13) | |
| On disability | 25 (13) | 21 (11) | 4 (2) | |
| Type of insurance, No. (%) | ||||
| HMO | 13 (7) | 11 (6) | 2 (1) | .061 |
| Medicare | 22 (12) | 13 (7) | 9 (5) | |
| Medicaid | 140 (74) | 112 (59) | 28 (15) | |
| Self | 15 (8) | 15 (8) | 0 (0) | |
| Annual income, No. (%) | ||||
| Unknown | 29 (15) | 25 (13) | 4 (2) | .177 |
| <$20,000 | 122 (64) | 92 (48) | 30 (16) | |
| ≥20$20,000 | 39 (21) | 34 (18) | 5 (3) | |
| BP at baseline, mean (SD) | ||||
| Diastolic BP | 86.6 (11.4) | 86.2 (10.88) | 88.4 (13.19) | .289 |
| Systolic BP | 144.4 (19.1) | 141.9 (17.85) | 154.2 (20.77) | .001 |
| BP at 9 months, mean (SD) | ||||
| Diastolic BP | 82.9 (10.4) | 82.2 (10.15) | 85.8 (11.03) | .116 |
| Systolic BP | 136.4 (15.8) | 134.3 (15.19) | 144.4 (15.99) | .004 |
Abbreviations: BP, blood pressure; HMO, health maintenance organization; SD, standard deviation