Factors Associated With Blood Pressure Control Among Patients in Community Health Centers

Understanding the multilevel factors associated with controlled blood pressure is important to determine modifiable factors for future interventions, especially among populations living in poverty. This study identified clinically important factors associated with blood pressure control among patients receiving care in community health centers.

This study includes 31,089 patients with diagnosed hypertension by 2015 receiving care from 103 community health centers; aged 19-64 years; and with ≥1 yearly visit with ≥1 recorded blood pressure in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Blood pressure control was operationalized as an average of all blood pressure measurements during all the 3 years and categorized as controlled (blood pressure <140/90), partially controlled (mixture of controlled and uncontrolled blood pressure), or never controlled. Multinomial mixed-effects logistic regression models, conducted in 2022, were used to calculate unadjusted ORs and AORs of being in the never- or partially controlled blood pressure groups versus in the always-controlled group.

A total of 50.5% had always controlled, 39.7% had partially controlled, and 9.9% never had controlled blood pressure during the study period. The odds of being partially or never in blood pressure control were higher for patients without continuous insurance (AOR=1.09; 95% CI=1.03, 1.16; AOR=1.18; 95% CI=1.07, 1.30, respectively), with low provider continuity (AOR=1.24; 95% CI=1.15, 1.34; AOR=1.28; 95% CI=1.13, 1.45, respectively), with a recent diagnosis of hypertension (AOR=1.34; 95% CI=1.20, 1.49; AOR=1.19; 95% CI=1.00, 1.42), with inconsistent antihypertensive medications (AOR=1.19; 95% CI=1.11, 1.27; AOR=1.26; 95% CI=1.13, 1.41, respectively), and with fewer blood pressure checks (AOR=2.14; 95% CI=1.97, 2.33; AOR=2.17; 95% CI=1.90, 2.48, respectively) than for their counterparts.

Efforts targeting continuous and consistent access to care, antihypertensive medications, and regular blood pressure monitoring may improve blood pressure control among populations living in poverty.