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Introduction: high blood pressure is a health problem in the Mexican population, there are social determinants that condition its development, so it is important that the doctor controls high blood pressure based on an adequate assessment, examination and clinical history; as well as proper use and management of clinical practice guidelines. Objective: to know in greater detail the characteristics of health professionals who could influence the control of hypertension. Material and methods: a descriptive study was carried out, the study population was the doctors of a health center in Mexico City, a 26-item questionnaire with closed and open questions was applied, through an in-depth interview directly. divided into 4 sections: i) identification and demographic factors; ii) academic training; iii) information sources and iv) prescription criteria. Results: with regard to hypertension, the age of the doctors appears to be a determining factor in its control: the degree of control can vary up to almost three times more depending on the age of these doctors, the influence of the number of patients seen would be less. However, deficiencies associated with age, such as lack of updating, could be compensated with specific training interventions by health administrations; alternatively, or complementary, clinical sessions and case discussion among colleagues could play a crucial role in this regard. Conclusions: the age of the doctors appears as a determinant in the control of arterial hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To determine factors associated with failure to adhere to treatment for diagnosed hypertension among a representative sample of older Mexican adults living in the community. Methods. A cross-sectional study of 2 029 individuals 65 years of age or older with diagnosed hypertension who participated in the Mexican Health and Aging Study, carried out during the summer of 2001. The survey collected information on several demographics (age, sex, schooling, whether living alone, and employment status, among others), any chronic illnesses, symptoms of depression, cognitive deterioration, body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption, and difficulty performing basic and instrumental activities of daily living. Simple and multifactorial logistical regression analyses were used to evaluate the association among the study variables and self-reported untreated high blood pressure. Results. Of the 2 029 participants, 437 (21.5%) reported not following any treatment whatsoever for controlling their hypertension; 1 584 (78.1%) affirmed they were complying with treatment; and 8 (0.4%) did not respond to this question. The multifactorial analysis adjusted for confounding variables (age, sex, symptoms of depression, and cognitive deterioration) showed that only a low number of years of schooling (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.70; 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 1.10-2.64; P = 0.02 for 1-6 years of schooling and adjusted OR = 3.32; 95%CI: 2.10-5.24; P < 0.01 for no schooling), alcohol consumption (adjusted OR = 1.52; 95%CI: 1.14-2.03; P = 0.01), and urinary incontinence (adjusted OR = 1.61; 95%CI: 1.15-2.26; P < 0.01) were independently associated with hypertension. Conclusions. Hypertension is a common and important issue among older adults in Mexico. To obtain better medication compliance, doctors prescribing or modifying hypertension treatment should taken into account whether or not the patient suffers from urinary incontinence, consumes alcohol, and/or has a low level of schooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]