Better Health Care Access Linked To Improved High Blood Pressure Awareness, Control | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Skip Navigation Better Health Care Access Linked To Improved High Blood Pressure Awareness, Control Close the left navigation January 17, 2023 Having better access to primary health care may improve awareness and control of high blood pressure, according to research funded in part by NIEHS. The finding suggests that regardless of socioeconomic status, many people may benefit from blood pressure control programs that increase access to primary health care. The study was led by Brisa Aschebrook-Kilfoy, Ph.D., and Jiajun Luo, Ph.D., members of the NIEHS Environmental Health Sciences Core Center at the University of Chicago The research team used data from the Chicago Multiethnic Prevention and Surveillance Study (COMPASS), which is a long-term study examining how lifestyle, health care access, genetics, and environmental factors affect cancer and chronic disease in Chicago residents. Learn more by reading the health care access study and this COMPASS cohort profile Back to Top Last Reviewed: January 05, 2026