Blood pressure of Indian and Coloured Schoolchildren aged 10--12 years.

In South Africa, hypertension is common among Indian and Cape Coloured adults. To throw light on this adverse situation, blood pressures are being determined in these ethnic groups. In the first instance, pupils aged 10--12 years were studied. Mean data are among the lowest on record for children. They are similar to values found for rural and urban Black pupils but significantly lower than most corresponding values published for White children. Neither salt nor sugar intakes appear influential. It would seem that factors which promote hypertension in adults in the two ethnic groups are not yet evident in the prepubertal Indian and Coloured children.