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Ethnic differences in blood pressure monitoring and control in south east London

Peter Schofield1, Omer Saka, Mark Ashworth

  • 1Department of Primary Care and Public Health Sciences, Kings College London, London, UK. peter.1.schofield@kcl.ac.uk

The British Journal of General Practice : the Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
|March 29, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Black patients with chronic conditions receive similar blood pressure monitoring but have poorer blood pressure control compared to white patients. This disparity impacts cardiovascular risk management strategies for Black individuals.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Public Health
  • Health Equity

Background:

  • High blood pressure is a leading global risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
  • Ethnic minority groups, particularly Black individuals, experience disproportionate impacts of hypertension.
  • Understanding ethnic disparities in blood pressure management is crucial for effective public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate ethnic inequalities in blood pressure monitoring and control among patients with chronic conditions.
  • To compare blood pressure management between Black and White patient groups within an inner-city London borough.
  • To identify specific ethnic subgroups and conditions with significant disparities in blood pressure control.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized Lambeth DataNet records from general practitioner practices.
  • Compared blood pressure monitoring and control against Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) targets.
  • Analyzed data for patients with diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease, controlling for age, sex, social deprivation, and practice clustering.

Main Results:

  • Blood pressure monitoring was comparable across ethnic groups, with Black patients showing similar or better rates than White patients.
  • Significant ethnic inequalities in blood pressure control were observed; Black patients were less likely to achieve QOF targets (OR 0.73).
  • Poor blood pressure control was noted in specific subgroups, including African patients with diabetes (OR 0.63) and Caribbean patients with coronary heart disease (OR 0.53).

Conclusions:

  • Black patients with chronic conditions have equivalent blood pressure monitoring but poorer control compared to White patients.
  • These findings highlight critical ethnic inequalities in hypertension management.
  • Addressing these disparities is essential for improving cardiovascular risk management in Black populations.
Abstract

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