Prevalence, Treatment, and Control of Hypertension Among US Women of Reproductive Age by Race/Hispanic Origin

Abstract

Background: To explore the prevalence, pharmacologic treatment, and control of hypertension among US nonpregnant women of reproductive age by race/Hispanic origin to identify potential gaps in care.

Methods: We pooled data from the 2011 to March 2020 (prepandemic) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey cycles. Our analytic sample included 4,590 nonpregnant women aged 20-44 years who had at least 1 examiner-measured blood pressure (BP) value. We estimated prevalences and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of hypertension, pharmacologic treatment, and control based on the 2003 Joint Committee on High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) and the 2017 American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines. We evaluated differences by race/Hispanic origin using Rao-Scott chi-square tests.

Results: Applying ACC/AHA guidelines, hypertension prevalence ranged from 14.0% (95% CI: 12.0, 15.9) among Hispanic women to 30.9% (95% CI: 27.8, 34.0) among non-Hispanic Black women. Among women with hypertension, non-Hispanic Black women had the highest eligibility for pharmacological treatment (65.5%, 95% CI: 60.4, 70.5); current use was highest among White women (61.8%, 95% CI: 53.8, 69.9). BP control ranged from 5.2% (95% CI: 1.1, 9.3) among women of another or multiple non-Hispanic races to 18.6% (95% CI: 12.1, 25.0) among Hispanic women.

Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of monitoring hypertension, pharmacologic treatment, and control by race/Hispanic origin and addressing barriers to equitable hypertension care among women of reproductive age.

Keywords: blood pressure; chronic disease; disparities; hypertension; prevalence; women of reproductive age.