Blood pressure and its biocultural correlates among the Lepchas of Sikkim,India: A microlevel epidemiological study

The present study evaluates the blood pressure profile among the Buddhist L epchas, a tribal population, indigenous to the Sikkim Himalaya, in relation to selected biological, behavioral and sociocultural factors. The study su bjects (aged 16 years and older) have been chosen from urban (Gangtok town, the capital of the State of Sikkim) and rural (Dzongu villages, about 75 k m north of Gangtok) areas. The subjects inhabiting the urban area are engag ed primarily in service sector while those inhabiting the rural area are pr acticing agri-horticulture. The results reveal that significant age effect exists on logarithmically transformed blood pressures; sex effect is not si gnificant. Among the anthropometric variables considered, calf girth and he ight are found to be significantly cor related with systolic and diastolic blood pressures, respectively. While disease status significantly affects s ystolic pressure, a significant effect of alcohol intake is discernible onl y on diastolic pressure. Furthermore, significant effects of rural/urban re sidence and educational level are found on blood pressures, both systolic a nd diastolic. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures of the urban Lepc has are found to be significantly higher compared to their rural counterpar ts. An increase in both mean, systolic and diastolic pressures is noticed w ith increasing level of education, although the trend is not absolutely uni form.