Biological and cultural determinants of blood pressure

Abstract

A path analytic study of blood pressure in Swedish families gave evidence for genetic heritability (0.18 for systolic, 0.13 for diastolic) and for cultural heritability, with evidence for an intergenerational difference giving higher estimates of cultural heritability in adults (0.19 for systolic, 0.08 for diastolic). A maternal effect for cultural inheritance was evident for systolic blood pressure but not for diastolic pressure. © 1982 American Heart Association, Inc.