21 Peru

A study was conducted by some anthropologists to determine the long-term effects of a change in environment on blood pressure. In this study they measured the blood pressure of a number of Indians who had migrated from a very primitive environment, high in the Andes mountains of Peru, into the mainstream of Peruvian society, at a much lower altitude.

A previous study in Africa had suggested that migration from a primitive society to a modern one might increase blood pressure at first, but that the blood pressure would tend to decrease back to normal over time.

The anthropologists also measured the height, weight, and a number of other characteristics of the subjects. A portion of their data is given below. All these data are for males over 21 who were born at a high altitude and whose parents were born at a high altitude. The skin-fold measurements were taken as a general measure of obesity. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure usually are studied separately. Systolic is often a more sensitive indicator.


The variables are:

  • Age: age in years
  • Years: years since migration
  • Weight: weight in kilograms
  • Height: height in millimeters
  • Chin: chin skin fold in millimeters
  • Forearm: forearm skin fold in millimeters
  • Calf: calf skin fold in millimeters
  • Pulse: pulse rate in beats per minute
  • Systol: systolic blood pressure
  • Diastol: diastolic blood pressure

Peru data: First 15 observations
Age Years Weight Height Chin Forearm Calf Pulse Systol Diastol
21 1 71.0 1629 8.0 7.0 12.7 88 170 76
22 6 56.5 1569 3.3 5.0 8.0 64 120 60
24 5 56.0 1561 3.3 1.3 4.3 68 125 75
24 1 61.0 1619 3.7 3.0 4.3 52 148 120
25 1 65.0 1566 9.0 12.7 20.7 72 140 78
27 19 62.0 1639 3.0 3.3 5.7 72 106 72
28 5 53.0 1494 7.3 4.7 8.0 64 120 76
28 25 53.0 1568 3.7 4.3 0.0 80 108 62
31 6 65.0 1540 10.3 9.0 10.0 76 124 70
32 13 57.0 1530 5.7 4.0 6.0 60 134 64
33 13 66.5 1622 6.0 5.7 8.3 68 116 76
33 10 59.1 1486 6.7 5.3 10.3 72 114 74
34 15 64.0 1578 3.3 5.3 7.0 88 130 80
35 18 69.5 1645 9.3 5.0 7.0 60 118 68
35 2 64.0 1648 3.0 3.7 6.7 60 138 78