Primary Care Usage Among Adults With Self-Reported Hypertension: United States, 2023

Approximately half of US adults have hypertension, with only 1 in 4 having it controlled. Regular visits to primary care can assist with managing hypertension. We estimated the number of US adults aged ≥18 years with self-reported hypertension reporting primary care visits within the last year.

Using the 2023 National Health Interview Survey, we identified respondents who reported a hypertension diagnosis. Among this population, we calculated the percentage and numbers who reported primary care visits in the last year by select demographic and socioeconomic covariates.

Our analytical sample of 10,953 US adults with self-reported hypertension represented 81.9 million adults nationally. Overall, 91.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 90.7%, 92.3%) of US adults with self-reported hypertension reported primary care visits in the last year, representing 75 million nationally. Adults aged 18-44 years had the lowest proportion of visits to primary care by age, 82.3% (95% CI: 79.0%, 85.3%). Males (90.1%, 95% CI: 88.8%, 91.3%) were less likely than females (93.1%, 95% CI: 92.1%, 94.0%) to report visits. Among those with no insurance coverage, only 79.8% (95% CI: 75.3%, 83.8%) reported primary care visits in the last year.

Over 90% of US adults with self-reported hypertension reported a primary care visit in the previous year, representing important opportunities to manage hypertension.