Abstract P309: Vulnerabilities to Health Disparities and Statin Use in the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study

Introduction: Statins reduce the incidence of major cardiovascular disease events, but many individuals do not receive them. The AHRQ National Healthcare Disparities Report identifies several vulnerable populations, but few studies have examined statin use from the perspective of the presence of multiple vulnerabilities in the same individual. Hypothesis: A greater number of vulnerabilities is associated with lower statin use. Methods: This study used data from the REGARDS study, which included 30,239 adults of age 45 and older recruited between 2003 and 2007 from the 48 contiguous US states. Baseline data included a 45-minute telephone interview and an in-home visit. Vulnerabilities included older age, black race, being a woman, rural/small city residence, area level poverty, Southeastern residence, and lack of health insurance. Prevalence ratios were estimated from Poisson models and adjusted for factors influencing health services utilization (education, awareness of hyperlipidemia, medication adherenc...