DALLAS - Americans, especially those 60 and older, are doing a better job of keeping their blood pressure under control, a new analysis says, a sign that people are getting the message about high blood pressure's risks.

But the study also found that the prevalence of high blood pressure was about the same.

“I think it gives more evidence that the modest improvement in blood pressure control rates are continuing,” said Dr. Daniel Jones, the American Heart Association's president-elect. “The good news is they're better than 10 to 15 years ago. The bad news is they're not nearly as good as they need to be.”

About 37 percent of Americans with high blood pressure had it under control in 2003-04, compared to about 29 percent just four years earlier, the research showed.