Can the socioeconomic level influence the characteristics of a group of hypertensive patients?

Abstract

A total of 440 hypertensive patients participated in the study (57 years old ±12, 66% women, 51% white, 57% married, 52% with primary school and 44% with income from 1 to 3 minimum salaries) to characterize biosocial, beliefs, attitudes and knowledge variables, absence to consultation and treatment interruption, and to associate the socioeconomic level to the variables studied. An index of accumulated goods, from the possession of household appliances converted in minimum salaries/mo., was elaborated in order to evaluate the economic status. The hypertensive people who disagreed with "there is nothing you can do to prevent high blood pressure" presented significantly higher levels of accumulated goods; those who affirmed never getting late to their consultations presented lower levels of accumulated goods; in the subjective well-being evaluation, sadness was associated to a lower accumulated goods index (p<0,05). Results showed that low economic status was associated with factors that can influence the attitude and adherence to anti-hypertensive treatment.