Does the use of home blood pressure monitoring vary by race, education, and income?

OBJECTIVE: Home blood pressure (BP) monitors are commonly recommended for patients with hypertension, but little is known about their utilizations among different racial/ethnic groups. The objective of this study was to investigate if racial differences existed in the utilization of home BP monitoring devices. DESIGN: A voluntary and self-administered survey study. SETTING: Community pharmacies in the Greater Houston metropolitan areas, Texas, United States. PARTICIPANTS: Subjects were recruited from community pharmacies if they were aged > or = 18 years and received a prescription drug for hypertension. INTERVENTIONS: Each participant was given informed consent to complete a survey that consisted of questions about patient demographics and BP self-monitoring behavior. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary measures were the use of home BP monitors and the patient's knowledge of BP monitoring. RESULTS: A total of 987 pharmacy customers were approached, of whom 834 patients agreed to participate (34.3% African Americans, 33.3% Whites, and 28.9% Hispanics). We found no association between race and BP monitor utilization. Patients with less education and lower income were associated with lesser use of BP monitors (P=.04 and P<.01 respectively). Patients with higher education and higher incomes were more knowledgeable about how to monitor BP at home. (P<.01). CONCLUSION: This study found that the utilization of BP monitors was not different among races. Patients with lower education level and less income were associated with less home BP monitor use. Further studies to investigate the adherence to home BP monitor use and intervention to overcome barriers to self-monitoring is needed.