title: Compliance with antihypertensive therapy among elderly Medicaid enrollees: the roles of age, gender, and race.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study measured compliance and related demographic factors in a retrospective cohort of 4068 elderly outpatients newly starting antihypertensive therapy from 1982 through 1988.
  
  
  METHODS
  Logistic regression modeling of data from the New Jersey Medicaid program was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  These patients filled antihypertensive prescriptions covering an average of only 179 days in the 365-day follow-up period (49%) Good compliance (> or = 80%) was associated with advanced age (odds ratio [OR] = 2.12, for patients 85 or older) and White race (OR = 0.55 for Blacks). There was no relationship between compliance and gender.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the efficacy of antihypertensive therapy in preventing cardiovascular morbidity, such high rates of noncompliance may contribute to suboptimal patient outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monane
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Bohn
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Gurwitz
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Glynn
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Avorn
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012646:Self Administration; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents