Barriers to care and control of high blood pressure in Korean-American elderly.

OBJECTIVES To identify barriers to achieving optimal management of high blood pressure (HBP) among hypertensive Korean-American elderly (KAE). METHODS This study used data on a subsample of 146 hypertensive KAE from a total of 205 KAE in Maryland who participated in a cardiovascular health assessment study. The study group consisted of 56 males and 90 females with a mean age of 69.8 +/- 6.6 years. The PRECEDE-PROCEED model guided selection of study variables. RESULTS Many KAE with HBP had no regular HBP care (66%) and did not achieve HBP control (92.5% of KAE with HBP and 77.6% of KAE on HBP medications). Lack of health insurance emerged as a strong barrier to receiving adequate HBP care. Other barriers to HBP care included not having a Korean doctor and not having a regular medical checkup. While 22.4% of KAE on HBP medication had controlled blood pressure (BP), those with more visits to traditional Asian medicine doctors were less likely to have achieved HBP control. CONCLUSIONS The study unveils some of the multilevel barriers to care and control of HBP uniquely experienced by KAE and suggests the need for developing interventions to assist KAE in managing HBP.