Blood pressure studies in two Pacific populations with varying degrees of modernisation
Zimmet, P.; Jackson, L.; Whitehouse, S.
New Zealand Medical Journal 91(657): 249-252
1980
ISSN/ISBN: 0028-8446 PMID: 6930587 Document Number: 158593
The prevalence of hypertension and the change in blood pressure with age were investigated in a Polynesian population (Tuvalu) and in a Micronesian population (Nauru) in the South Pacific region. The 2 populations differ widely in degree of transition from their native life style, including diet, as the Tuvaluans are partly urbanized whereas the Nauruan life style is completely westernized. Hypertension was present in 27.2% of the Nauruans and 11.1% of the Tuvaluans. Both populations also showed a rise in mean blood pressure with increasing age, a phenomenon apparently absent in traditional-living populations of the world but present in western societies.