Blood pressure and length of stay in Australia of Italian immigrants in the Australian National Blood Pressure Study.

Data obtained from 10,975 Australian-born and 1,717 Italian-born subjects aged 30-69 years in one centre of the Australian National Blood Pressure Study revealed that the Italians had lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures compared with Australians of the same age and sex. The Italians' blood pressures rose in successive age groups and at the same rate as in the Australians. After the effect of age was eliminated, the duration of residence of the Italians in Australia had a small but significant association with their blood pressures, possibly indicating exposure to blood pressure-elevating environmental factors in Australia.