Blood pressure levels of an urban adult New Zealand population: Napier 1973.

Ninety-seven percent of a randomly selected sample of 2600 adults (age range 21 to 92 years) from the Napier City electoral area were surveyed for age and sex distribution of blood pressure. The sample included those currently receiving drug treatment for elevated pressures. There were approximately 400 in each decade and the sex ratio slightly favoured females. Casual systolic pressures rose with age whereas the diastolic rose to approximately age 50 and thereafter remained steady or slightly declined. Before age 50 years males had higher systolic pressures than females and thereafter the mean levels for females exceeded those for the males. Mean systolic pressures for this New Zealand sample population were higher by 2-4mmHg for all ages than the levels reported for the United States National Health Survey 1960-62.