Sex Differences in Hypertension Control Practices Among Young Adults

Speakers: Dr. Nicolette Powe, DrPH, MS, MCHES®

Approximately 7.3 percent of young adults in the United States are diagnosed with hypertension increasing the need for adherence to self-management practices. The purpose of this webinar is to share the investigation of sex differences in blood pressure (BP) monitoring among young adults aged 20-39 diagnosed with hypertension.
From the study shared in this webinar, data from 2009-2014 National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES) were used to assess BP monitoring among young adults diagnosed with hypertension. Sex was primary the independent variable and multivariable logistic regression models included covariates self-rated health and health insurance status as the dependent variable of whether respondents monitored their BP at home at least once per week. Descriptive analysis indicates that the mean age of respondents was 33.13 (SE= 0.42) years of age and approximately 36.6% of the sample checked their BP weekly. The proportion of females checking their BP weekly (45.4%) was higher than their male counterparts (26.5%); however, significant sex differences (OR=1.71; 95% CI 0.44-6.58) were not reported in the fully adjusted logistic regression model. When adjusting for covariates, young adult females and males were equally likely to check their BP weekly.
In this sample of young adults with hypertension, no sex differences were observed for the frequency of checking BP monitoring. The overall prevalence of BP monitoring was low suggesting that interventions are needed to increase BP monitoring among young adults with hypertension. These findings are aligned with the NHLBI mission to investigate disease differences by sex across the lifespan as well as to improve disease management practices.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe at least three ways how to utilize secondary data to assess health disparities among priority populations.

For CECH you must complete the evaluation following the Livestream after purchase, please email ed*******@so***.org. There will be a live stream survey and a CECH evaluation of this program. Your feedback will assist us in planning future webinars. Thank you!