Sample Characteristics of Respondents Who Had versus Had Not Spent Less on Basic Needs to Pay for Medication (St. Louis, MO; 2016-2018), n = 270
| Total N (%) | Not Spending Less on Basic Needs (n = 144) N (%) | Spending Less on Basic Needs (n = 126) N (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | |||
| Female | 161 (59.6) | 78 (54.2) | 83 (65.9) |
| Race/ethnicity (ref: non-Hispanic White/other) | |||
| Non-Hispanic Black | 221 (81.9) | 121 (84.0) | 100 (79.4) |
| Education level | |||
| No high school (HS) diploma | 57 (21.1) | 37 (25.7) | 20 (15.9) |
| High school graduate or GED | 101 (37.4) | 49 (34.0) | 52 (41.3) |
| Some college/technical school (with HS diploma) | 68 (25.2) | 35 (24.3) | 33 (26.2) |
| College graduate or greater | 44 (16.3) | 23 (16.0) | 21 (16.7) |
| Employment status (ref: employed; out of work < 1 year; homemaker) | |||
| Out of work > 1 year; unable to work; disabled; retired | 169 (62.8) | 91 (63.2) | 78 (62.4) |
| Monthly income | |||
| < $400/mo | 46 (17.2) | 24 (16.9) | 22 (17.6) |
| $400-$799/mo | 77 (28.8) | 49 (34.5) | 28 (22.4) |
| $800-$1199/mo | 59 (22.1) | 26 (18.3) | 33 (26.4) |
| > $1200/mo | 85 (31.8) | 43 (30.3) | 42 (33.6) |
| Number of dependents | |||
| 0 | 184 (68.1) | 96 (66.7) | 88 (69.8) |
| 1 | 38 (14.1) | 22 (15.3) | 16 (12.7) |
| 2+ | 48 (17.8) | 26 (18.1) | 22 (17.5) |
| Health insurance status | |||
| Private; Medicare; dual | 119 (44.1) | 65 (45.1) | 54 (42.9) |
| Medicaid; local coverage program; veteran's health benefits | 115 (42.6) | 64 (44.4) | 51 (40.5) |
| Uninsured | 36 (13.3) | 15 (10.4) | 21 (16.7) |
| Prescription drug coverage (ref: full year) | |||
| Less than full year | 87 (32.2) | 38 (26.4) | 49 (38.9) |
| Self-reported overall health (ref: excellent/good) | |||
| Fair/poor | 180 (66.7) | 84 (58.3) | 96 (76.2) |
| Medication adherence (ref: adherent) | |||
| Less than adherent | 183 (68.0) | 79 (54.9) | 104 (83.2) |
| Mean ± SD | Mean ± SD | Mean ± SD | |
| Age | 55.2 ± 9.6 | 54.9 ± 10.3 | 55.5 ± 8.9 |
| Number of chronic conditions | 4.8 ± 2.5 | 4.1 ± 2.2 | 5.5 ± 2.6 |
| Number of medications | 6.1 ± 3.9 | 5.3 ± 3.7 | 7.0 ± 3.8 |
| Monthly medication expenditure ($) | 82 ± 152 | 47 ± 122 | 113 ± 179 |
Note: Due to rounding, not all percentages may add to exactly 100.
SD, standard deviation.