Variations in physicians' advice for managing hypertension in women: a study using NHANES III.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the pattern of physician advice-giving to individuals with hypertension and to determine if advice-giving and adherence to advice vary by race.


METHODS
Frequency of physician recommendations and patient adherence to such advice were analyzed using data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted from 1988 to 1994. A total of 2066 women were included in the study.


RESULTS
The frequency of advice-giving and patient adherence to that advice varied as a function of the type of advice dispensed. Physician advice-giving and patient adherence also varied as a function of race; compared to Black women, White women were 60% less likely [OR (95% CI): 0.41 (0.25, 0.65)] to be told to take prescribed medicines and 56% less likely [OR (95% CI): 0.44 (0.26, 0.76)] to be told to exercise. Regarding patient adherence, compared to Black women, White women were 37% less likely [OR (95% CI): 0.63 (0.44, 0.91)] to use prescribed medicines, 59% less likely [OR (95% CI): 0.41 (0.26, 0.66)] to report reducing use of salt/sodium, and among overweight women, 50% less likely [OR (95% CI): 0.50 (0.31, 0.81)] to report efforts to control/lose weight.


CONCLUSIONS
The variability of physician advice and patient adherence as a function of race warrants further study.
Martin
Michelle Y
MY
Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. mymartin@uab.edu
Person
Sharina D
SD
Shipp
Michéle
M
Green
B Lee
BL
Crowther
Martha
M
Lee
Patricia
P
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D003142:Communication; D037001:Directive Counseling / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008019:Life Style; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000208:ethnology*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*