relate to the quality of care other than the treatment protocol,” Anstey explained.
For the study, Spatz and her colleagues looked at a large trial that compared the effectiveness of three blood pressure drugs in maintaining blood pressure at less than 140/90 mm Hg.
Of all the patients in the trial, Spatz’s team only looked at the 13,000 U.S. residents who took part. Of these, 8% lived in the lowest income sites and 38% in the highest income areas.
Participants in poor areas were more likely to be women, black or Hispanic, to have lower levels of education and to live in the South.
Poorer people tended to see a doctor less often than wealthier people, possibly due to lack of transportation or other
