Final answer:
To find the probability that both selected patients have high blood pressure given a 30% prevalence, multiply the individual probabilities (0.30 x 0.30), resulting in a 9% probability that both have the condition.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is pertaining to the calculation of the probability that both of two randomly selected patients have high blood pressure, given that 30% of American adults have this condition. This is a problem of statistics that involves the use of the multiplication rule for independent events. To find the probability that both patients have high blood pressure, you would multiply the probability of one having high blood pressure by the probability that the second one does as well, assuming the two events are independent.
Since there is a 30% chance (or 0.30 probability) that one patient has high blood pressure, the calculation would be 0.30 (the probability of the first patient having high blood pressure) times 0.30 (the probability of the second patient having high blood pressure), which results in 0.09, or 9%.