Olugbenga Ogedegbe

Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Professor for the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Professional overview

Gbenga Ogedegbe, a physician, is Professor of Population Health & Medicine, Chief Division of Health & Behavior and Director Center for Healthful Behavior Change in the Department of Population Health at the School of Medicine. Gbenga is a leading expert on health disparities research; his work focuses on the implementation of evidence-based interventions for cardiovascular risk reduction in minority populations. He is Principal Investigator on numerous NIH projects, and has expanded his work globally to Sub-Saharan Africa where he is funded by the NIH to strengthen research capacity and reduce the burden of noncommunicable diseases. He has co-authored over 250 publications and his work has been recognized by receipt of several research and mentoring awards including the prestigious John M. Eisenberg Excellence in Mentorship Award from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Daniel Savage Science Award. He has served on numerous scientific panels including the NIH, CDC, World Health Organization, and the European Union Research Council. Prior to joining NYU, he was faculty at Cornell Weill Medical School and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. 

Education

MPH from Columbia University, 1999

Residency, Montefiore Medical Center, Internal Medicine, 1998

MD from Donetsk University, 1988

Areas of research and study

Access to Healthcare

Global Health

Health of Marginalized Population

Implementation and Impact of Public Health Regulations

Implementation science

Stroke and Cardiovascular Disease

Publications

Publications

Multiple health-risk behavior in a chronic disease population: What behaviors do people choose to change?

Patients' perceptions of electronic monitoring devices affect medication adherence in hypertensive African Americans

Psychosocial mediators of the relationship between race/ethnicity and depressive symptoms in latino and white patients with coronary artery disease

Revision and validation of the medication adherence self-efficacy scale (MASES) in hypertensive African Americans

Fernandez, S., Chaplin, W., Schoenthaler, A. M., & Ogedegbe, G. (n.d.).

Publication year

2008

Journal title

Journal of Behavioral Medicine

Volume

31

Issue

6

Page(s)

453-462

10.1007/s10865-008-9170-7

Abstract

Abstract

Study purpose was to revise and examine the validity of the Medication Adherence Self-Efficacy Scale (MASES) in an independent sample of 168 hypertensive African Americans: mean age 54 years (SD = 12.36); 86% female; 76% high school education or greater. Participants provided demographic information; completed the MASES, self-report and electronic measures of medication adherence at baseline and three months. Confirmatory (CFA), exploratory (EFA) factor analyses, and classical test theory (CTT) analyses suggested that MASES is unidimensional and internally reliable. Item response theory (IRT) analyses led to a revised 13-item version of the scale: MASES-R. EFA, CTT, and IRT results provide a foundation of support for MASES-R reliability and validity for African Americans with hypertension. Research examining MASES-R psychometric properties in other ethnic groups will improve generalizability of findings and utility of the scale across groups. The MASES-R is brief, quick to administer, and can capture useful data on adherence self-efficacy.

The Epidemiology of Hypertension

The misdiagnosis of hypertension: The role of patient anxiety

The relative risk of cardiovascular death among racial and ethnic minorities with metabolic syndrome: Data from the NHANES-II mortality follow-up

Understanding the nature and role of spirituality in relation to medication adherence: A proposed conceptual model

African American Spirituality: A Process of Honoring God, Others, and Self

An RCT of the effect of motivational interviewing on medication adherence in hypertensive African Americans: Rationale and design

Appointment-keeping behavior is not related to medication adherence in hypertensive African Americans

Ascribing meaning to hypertension: A qualitative study among African Americans with uncontrolled hypertension

Perspectives on Mechanisms of Racial Disparities in Hypertension

Randomized controlled trials of positive affect and self-affirmation to facilitate healthy behaviors in patients with cardiopulmonary diseases: Rationale, trial design, and methods

The impact of perceived hypertension status on anxiety and the white coat effect

Spruill, T. M., Pickering, T. G., Schwartz, J. E., Mostofsky, E., Ogedegbe, G., Clemow, L., & Gerin, W. (n.d.).

Publication year

2007

Journal title

Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Volume

34

Issue

1

Page(s)

1-9

10.1007/BF02879915

Abstract

Abstract

Background: The white coat effect can lead to overdiagnosis of hypertension and unnecessary pharmacologic treatment. Mechanisms underlying the white coat effect remain poorly understood but are critical to improving the accuracy of clinic blood pressure measurement. Purpose: This study investigated whether perceived hypertension status was associated with state anxiety levels during a clinic visit and the magnitude of the white coat effect, independent of true blood pressure status. Methods: This observational study included 214 normotensive and mildly hypertensive participants who were 18 to 80 years old, had no cardiac history, and were willing to discontinue antihypertensive medications for 8 weeks. Participants underwent 36 hr ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and physician blood pressure measurement. Outcome measures were state anxiety reported during the clinic visit and the white coat effect. Results: An analysis of covariance indicated that participants who perceived themselves as hypertensive reported greater state anxiety (p < .001) and showed larger white coat effects (ps < .01) compared with those who perceived themselves as normotensive. True hypertension status based on ambulatory blood pressure was not related to either outcome. Anxiety accounted for approximately 19% of the association between perceived hypertension status and the white coat effect. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the perception of being hypertensive is associated with greater anxiety during clinic blood pressure measurement and a larger white coat effect, independent of the true blood pressure level. Anxiety appears to be a mechanism by which perceived hypertension status contributes to the white coat effect.

The medication Adherence and Blood Pressure Control (ABC) trial: A multi-site randomized controlled trial in a hypertensive, multi-cultural, economically disadvantaged population

Gerin, W., Tobin, J. N., Schwartz, J. E., Chaplin, W., Rieckmann, N., Davidson, K. W., Goyal, T. M., Jhalani, J., Cassells, A., Feliz, K., Khalida, C., Diaz-Gloster, M., & Ogedegbe, G. (n.d.).

Publication year

2007

Journal title

Contemporary Clinical Trials

Volume

28

Issue

4

Page(s)

459-471

10.1016/j.cct.2007.01.003

Abstract

Abstract

The Medication Adherence and BP Control Trial (ABC Trial) is a randomized, controlled, multi-site, medication adherence and blood pressure (BP) control trial in an economically disadvantaged and multi-cultural population of hypertensive patients followed in primary care practices. To date, no other such trial has been published in which objective measures of adherence (electronic pill bottles) were used to assess the effectiveness of these behavioral interventions for hypertension. This study tested a combination of commercially-available interventions that can be easily accessed by health care providers and patients, and therefore may provide a real-world solution to the problem of non-adherence among hypertensives. The aim of the ABC Trial was to test the effectiveness of a stepped care intervention in improving both medication adherence to an antihypertensive medication regimen and BP control. Step 1 of the intervention employed home Self-BP Monitoring (SBPM); at this stage, there were two arms: (1) Usual Care (UC) and (2) Intervention. At Step 2, patients in the intervention arm whose BP had not come under control after 3 months were further randomized to one of two conditions: (1) continuation of SBPM (alone) or (2) continuation of SBPM plus telephone-based nurse case management (SBPM + NCM). Electronic Medication Event Monitoring (MEMS) was the primary measure of medication adherence, and in-office BP was the primary measure of hypertension control. We present an overview of the study design, details of the administrative structure of the study and a description of clinical site recruitment, patient recruitment, and follow-up assessments.

A systematic review of the effects of home blood pressure monitoring on medication adherence.

Assessment of the white-coat effect

Gerin, W., Ogedegbe, G., Schwartz, J. E., Chaplin, W. F., Goyal, T., Clemow, L., Davidson, K. W., Burg, M., Lipsky, S., Kentor, R., Jhalani, J., Shimbo, D., & Pickering, T. G. (n.d.).

Publication year

2006

Journal title

Journal of Hypertension

Volume

24

Issue

1

Page(s)

67-74

10.1097/01.hjh.0000194117.96979.13

Abstract

Abstract

Background: A limitation of blood pressure measurements made in the physician's office is the transient elevation in pressure seen in many patients that does not appear to be linked to target organ damage or prognosis. This has been labeled the 'white-coat effect' (WCE), computed as the difference between blood pressure measurements taken by the physician and the ambulatory level or resting measures. It is unclear, however, which resting measure is most appropriate. The awake ambulatory blood pressure is the most widely used. However, while arguably the most useful measure for prediction of clinical outcomes, it is less appropriate for use as a resting measure, because it is influenced by many factors, including posture and physical activity level. Resting levels taken in the clinic may also be elevated, and will therefore underestimate the WCE. Methods: We addressed this question by taking resting measures in a non-medical setting on the day before patients were seen at a Hypertension Clinic (day 1), and comparing these with resting measures taken on the following day, in the clinic before the patient saw the physician. Results: As predicted, the day 1 resting levels were lower than those taken in the clinic prior to seeing the physician (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001 for systolic and diastolic pressures, respectively) in both normotensive and hypertensive patients. Using the day 1 resting levels, the estimated WCE for hypertensive patients was 5.3/6.9 mmHg (systolic/ diastolic blood pressures), compared with estimates, using the clinic resting levels, of 0.3/0.5 mm Hg. The pattern of changes was different in normotensive patients and hypertensive patients, with the physician pressures being slightly lower than day 1 pressures in the former, and substantially higher in the latter. Heart rate changes were similar and modest in both groups. Conclusion: The WCE may not just be limited to that narrow interval in which the patient actually sees the physician, but may generalize to the clinic setting, rendering a clinic 'resting' level invalid. While it is strongly positive in most hypertensive patients, it is frequently negative in normotensive patients. Our results suggest that improved methods of measuring blood pressure in the clinic setting are unlikely to resolve the confounding influence of the WCE, and that greater reliance will need to be placed on out-of-office monitoring.

Role of home blood pressure and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in decisions of when and whom to treat: recommendations for practicing clinicians.

Superiority of ambulatory to physician blood pressure is not an artifact of differential measurement reliability

Gerin, W., Schwartz, J. E., Devereux, R. B., Goyal, T., Shimbo, D., Ogedegbe, G., Rieckmann, N., Abraham, D., Chaplin, W., Burg, M., Jhulani, J., & Pickering, T. G. (n.d.).

Publication year

2006

Journal title

Blood Pressure Monitoring

Volume

11

Issue

6

Page(s)

297-301

10.1097/01.mbp.0000218005.73204.b7

Abstract

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Ambulatory blood pressure is a better predictor of target organ damage and the risk of adverse cardiovascular events than office measurements. Whether this is due to the greater reliability owing to the larger number of measurements that are usually taken using ambulatory monitoring, or the greater validity of these measurements independent of the number, remains controversial. METHODS: We addressed this issue by comparing physician readings and ambulatory measurements as predictors of left ventricular mass index. The number of readings was controlled by using the average of three physician readings and randomly selecting three awake readings from a 24-h ambulatory recording. RESULTS: In a multiple regression analysis that included both the ambulatory and physician blood pressure measurements, only the ambulatory systolic measurements significantly predicted left ventricular mass index (B=0.37, t=3.11, P=0.002); the coefficient for physician's systolic measurements was essentially zero (B=-0.01, t=-0.26, NS). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the superiority of ambulatory blood pressure as a predictor of target organ damage, compared with physician measurements, cannot be adequately/fully explained by the impact of the larger number of measurements obtained with ambulatory monitoring.

A new tool to assess treatment fidelity and evaluation of treatment fidelity across 10 years of health behavior research

Examples of implementation and evaluation of treatment fidelity in the BCC Studies: Where we are and where we need to go

Resnick, B., Bellg, A. J., Borrelli, B., DeFrancesco, C., Breger, R., Hecht, J., Sharp, D. L., Levesque, C., Orwig, D., Ernst, D., Ogedegbe, G., & Czajkowski, S. (n.d.).

Publication year

2005

Journal title

Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Volume

29

Page(s)

46-54

10.1207/s15324796abm2902s_8

Abstract

Abstract

Treatment fidelity plays an important role in the research team's ability to ensure that a treatment has been implemented as intended and that the treatment has been accurately tested. Developing, implementing, and evaluating a treatment fidelity plan can be challenging. The treatment fidelity workgroup within the Behavior Change Consortium (BCC) developed guidelines to comprehensively evaluate treatment fidelity in behavior change research. The guidelines include evaluation of treatment fidelity with regard to study design, training of interventionists, delivery and receipt of the intervention, and enactment of the intervention in real-life settings. This article describes these guidelines and provides examples from four BCC studies as to how these recommended guidelines for fidelity were considered. Future work needs to focus not only on implementing treatment fidelity plans but also on quantifying the evaluations performed, developing specific criteria for interpretation of the findings, and establishing best practices of treatment fidelity.

Knowledge attitudes, beliefs, and blood pressure control in a community-based sample in Ghana

Spencer, J., Phillips, E., & Ogedegbe, G. (n.d.).

Publication year

2005

Journal title

Ethnicity and Disease

Volume

15

Issue

4

Page(s)

748-752

Abstract

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease, in particular hypertension (HTN), is a significant and growing public health problem in developing countries, such as sub-Saharan Africa. As such, it is imperative to develop a public health approach to the management and treatment of hypertension. In order to address the growing prevalence of hypertension in this region, an in-depth understanding of patients' knowledge, and awareness about the treatment and prevention of hypertension is needed. As part of a faith-based medical clinic in the Sekondi-Takoradi area in Ghana, we conducted a cross sectional survey of 1135 patients who attended a free medical clinic between March 2001 and March 2002, to assess the prevalence, awareness, knowledge, and treatment of HTN. Using qualitative methodology, we also explored patients' beliefs about hypertension and its consequences. Of the 1135 patients, 30% were hypertensive (and 62% of these had Stage II hypertension), 73% were aware of their diagnosis, 59% were being treated, and only 5% had adequate blood pressure (BP) control defined as blood pressure <140/90 mm Hg. Patients with hypertension were typically older (average age was 61 vs 42 for normotensives), obese (30% had a BMI ≥30) and not physically active (65%). These findings resemble trends noted in developed countries. Results of the qualitative interviews indicated that patients had several misconceptions about hypertension that were not consistent with a traditional biomedical model. For example, one person defined high blood pressure as having "too much blood in the body." In collaboration with the Ghana ministry of health we plan to utilize the findings of this study to develop a community-based educational program that will provide culturally competent patient education about hypertension, with a particular emphasis on the misconceptions about the etiology of hypertension and its associated complications.

Perceptions of barriers and facilitators of cancer early detection among low-income minority women in community health centers

Barriers and facilitators of medication adherence in hypertensive African Americans: A qualitative study