Experiences and Beliefs of Low-Income Patients With Hypertension in Louisiana and Mississippi During the COVID-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disproportionately affects individuals with hypertension and health disparities. METHODS AND RESULTS: We assessed the experiences and beliefs of low-income and minority patients with hypertension during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (N=587) from the IMPACTS-BP (Implementation of Multifaceted Patient-Centered Treatment Strategies for Intensive Blood Pressure Control) study completed a telephone survey in May and June of 2020. Participants were 65.1% Black and 59.7% female, and 57.7% reported an income below the federal poverty level. Overall, 2.7% tested positive and 15.3% had lost a family member or friend to COVID-19. These experiences were significantly more common in Black (3.9% and 19.4%, respectively) than in non-Black participants (0.5% and 7.8%, respectively). In addition, 14.5% lost a job and 15.9% reported food shortages during the pandemic. Most participants complied with stay-at-home orders (98.3%), social distancing (97.8%), and always wearing a mask outside their home (74.6%). Participants also reported high access to needed health care (94.7%) and prescription medications (97.6%). Furthermore, 95.7% of respondents reported that they continued to take their regular dosage of antihypertensive medications. Among the 44.5% of participants receiving a healthcare appointment by telehealth, 96.6% got the help they needed, and 80.8% reported that the appointment quality was as good as or better than in-person visits. Finally, 88.9% were willing to return to their primary care clinic. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that low-income patients, especially Black patients, were negatively impacted by COVID-19. However, most patients were able to access needed healthcare services and were willing to return to their primary care clinic for hypertension management.

Automated summary

Low-income patients, especially Black patients, were disproportionately affected by COVID-19. However, most patients were able to access needed healthcare services and were willing to return to their primary care clinic for hypertension management.