title: Hypertension control and access to medical care in the inner city.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study assessed hypertension control among high-risk African Americans.
  
  
  METHODS
  We interviewed 583 African Americans aged 18 years and older residing in 438 randomly selected inner-city households.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-two percent of the respondents were hypertensive. Blood pressure was uncontrolled in 74% of hypertensive persons, although 64% of hypertensive persons reported having seen a physician within the previous 3 months. Hypertension control was associated with female gender and higher socioeconomic strata but not with public versus private sources of medical care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hypertension control is inadequate in this population, although health care services are used frequently. Hypertension control efforts should focus on the effectiveness of health care delivery.
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 53226, USA. jkotchen@post.its.mcw.edu
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kotchen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shakoor-Abdullah
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Chelius
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Kotchen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D044383:Black People; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000592:standards*; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D017149:Private Sector / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017150:Public Sector / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D019037:Urban Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014922:Wisconsin