Abstract 13748: The Relationship Between Anxiety, Cumulative Social Risk, and Adherence to Antihypertensive Medications

Abstract

Introduction: Psychiatric disorders and social determinants of health impact the management of medical conditions. We examined the relationship between anxiety, cumulative social risk, and adherence to antihypertensive medications. Methods: We used data from the 2020 national health interview survey to evaluate antihypertensive medication use. Anxiety and use of anxiolytics were the independent variables. Cumulative social risk (CSR) was made up of a composite of economic stability, education, food insecurity, neighborhood, and health care system. Four quartiles were created, with the highest (4 th ) CSR quartile denoting the least social risk. Logistic regression was used for the analysis. Results: Of the 10,499 participants with hypertension, 8772 (80.2%) of were taking hypertensive medications. The mean (SE) age of the sample was 60.4 (0.23) years and 50% were females. Among those on antihypertensives, 16.2% reported anxiety and 68.0% reported using anxiolytic medications. Distribution of CSR is as shown in figure 1. Among those with anxiety, the odds of taking antihypertensive medications reduced as the CSR quartile increase from 2 nd [AOR 0.42; 95% CI 0.18, 0.96. p=0.039], 3 rd [AOR 0.38; 95% CI 0.18, 0.83. p=0.016] to 4 th quartile [AOR 0.34; 95% CI 0.13, 0.88. p=0.026] as compared to 1 st quartile. Among those on anxiolytic medications, belonging to CSR 4 quartile had a reduced [AOR 0.21; 95% CI 0.08, 0.58. p=0.003] as compared to the CSR 1 quartile. Conclusions: Individuals with anxiety with the least CSR are less likely to be taking antihypertensive medications. This may be related to an increased likelihood of a healthier lifestyle.