The counseling african americans to control hypertension (caatch) trial: baseline demographic, clinical, psychosocial, and behavioral characteristics
2011

Counseling African Americans to Control Hypertension (CAATCH) Trial: Participant Characteristics

Sample size: 1039 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Senaida Fernandez, Jonathan N Tobin, Andrea Cassells, Marlene Diaz-Gloster, Chamanara Kalida, Gbenga Ogedegbe

Primary Institution: New York University School of Medicine

Hypothesis

Patients randomized to the intervention condition will have a higher blood pressure control rate at 12 months compared to those in the usual care condition.

Conclusion

The majority of patients in the CAATCH trial exhibited adverse lifestyle behaviors and significant medical and psychosocial barriers to adequate blood pressure control.

Supporting Evidence

  • 71.6% of participants were female.
  • 72.4% reported an income of less than $20,000/year.
  • 54.8% of participants were on a diuretic.
  • 25.6% of the sample had resistant hypertension.
  • 55.7% reported medication non-adherence.

Takeaway

This study looked at African Americans with high blood pressure and found that many had unhealthy habits and challenges that made it hard for them to control their blood pressure.

Methodology

Participants were recruited from 30 community health centers and data on demographics, clinical, psychosocial, and behavioral characteristics were collected through interviews, direct measurements, and chart reviews.

Potential Biases

Potential biases due to the cluster randomized design and imbalances in baseline characteristics.

Limitations

The majority of participants were women, which may limit generalizability to African American men, and there were imbalances in baseline characteristics between intervention and control groups.

Participant Demographics

Participants were primarily middle-aged, female, low-income, and had a high prevalence of co-morbid conditions.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.01

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1748-5908-6-100

Want to read the original?

Access the complete publication on the publisher's website

View Original Publication