Hypertension in Community-Dwelling Elders from a Statewide Study: Implications for Nonpharmacologic Therapy

This study used multivariate analysis to determine the sociodemographic variables that predict whether hypertensive elders who are aware of their disease deliberately make lifestyle modifications aimed at controlling their hypertension. The data are from the 1990 Panel Study of Older South Carolinians (n = 6,473). The researchers performed five separate logistic regressions, each to predict the odds that the elders made specific lifestyle changes to reduce their hypertension. The dependent variable in the first regression was 1 = quit smoking to reduce hypertension and 0 = did not quit smoking to reduce hypertension. Changing diet, exercising, taking medication, and using stress management techniques were the dependent variables in the second, third, fourth, and fifth regressions, respectively. Significant determinants included age, gender, marital status, socioeconomic status, previous medical history, and social participation. This paper discussed implications for prevention programs.