Key result
Education level predicted health behavior changes (medication use, smoking cessation, physical activity) after a hypertension diagnosis, with stronger effects observed in women.
Why the study?
Do educational and gender differences impact the likelihood of making health behavior changes after a hypertension diagnosis?
Observational
Do educational and gender differences impact the likelihood of making health behavior changes after a hypertension diagnosis?
Education level is a stronger predictor of positive health behavior changes following a hypertension diagnosis in women compared to men, which may contribute to gender differences in socioeconomic health gradients.
May support education-focused counseling after hypertension diagnosis, especially in women; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation.
OBJECTIVE: Hypertension represents a gateway diagnosis to more serious health problems that occur as people age. We examine educational differences in three health behavior changes people often make after receiving this diagnosis in middle or older age, and test whether these educational differences depend on (a) the complexity of the health behavior change and (b) gender. METHOD: We use data from the Health and Retirement Study and conduct logistic regression analysis to examine the likelihood of modifying health behaviors post diagnosis. RESULTS: We find educational differences in three behavior changes-antihypertensive medication use, smoking cessation, and physical activity initiation-after a hypertension diagnosis. These educational differences in health behaviors were stronger among women compared with men. DISCUSSION: Upon receiving a hypertension diagnosis, education is a more important predictor of behavior changes for women compared with men, which may help explain gender differences in the socioeconomic gradient in health in the United States.
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Hernandez et al. (2016) conducted an observational in Hypertension. Education level was evaluated on Health behavior changes (antihypertensive medication use, smoking cessation, and physical activity initiation). Education level predicted health behavior changes (medication use, smoking cessation, physical activity) after a hypertension diagnosis, with stronger effects observed in women.
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