Why the study?
What factors are associated with hypertension and what is the level of hypertension awareness among oral contraceptive users obtaining pills over the counter versus from a clinic?
What factors are associated with hypertension and what is the level of hypertension awareness among oral contraceptive users obtaining pills over the counter versus from a clinic?
A high proportion of oral contraceptive users on the US-Mexico border have unrecognized hypertension, highlighting the need for alternative health screening approaches such as blood pressure kiosks.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Supports BP screening in at-risk OC users; leaves open whether OTC access affects hypertension recognition.
On the U.S.-Mexico border, residents frequently cross into Mexico to obtain medications or medical care. We previously reported relatively high prevalence of hypertension among Latina oral contraceptive users in El Paso, particularly those obtaining pills over the counter (OTC) in Mexico. Here, we examine factors associated with having hypertension among 411 OTC users and 399 clinic users. We also assess hypertension awareness and interest in using blood pressure kiosks. Women age 35 to 44 and who had BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 had higher odds of having hypertension. 59% of hypertensive women had unrecognized hypertension, and 77% of all participants would use a blood pressure kiosk; there were no significant differences between clinic and OTC users. Alternative approaches to increase access to health screenings are needed in this setting, where OTC pill use among women with unrecognized hypertension confers unique health risks.
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White et al. (2013) studied this question.
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