Aging in Amazonia: Blood pressure and culture change among the Cofán of Ecuador

Abstract  There has been an increasing interest by researchers to study aging among various ‘traditional societies.’ However, few studies have specifically examined the differences between lifestyle variables and cardiovascular risk factors among sex-specific age cohorts in Amazon populations. In Western societies, age, obesity, fat distribution, and diet are common correlates of blood pressure (BP). However, these variables may not be significant correlates of BP in more traditional-living societies. For example, outside pressures placed upon their environments and lifestyles can ultimately affect their overall health status. Currently, there are few isolated Amazonian groups pursuing even modified versions of their traditional lifeways. Those that do exist have been reduced by numerous factors, including land conflicts, pollution, infectious diseases, and persistent pressures to acculturate into the dominant society. In most traditional living groups, older individuals appear to be the most resistant to social change. However, the definition of ‘older’ in these populations is a group-specific cultural construct. This study examines intravillage and intervillage sex-specific cohorts to investigate the complex relationships between age, cultural change and cardiovascular risk factors among an Amazonian population, the Cofán of Northeastern Ecuador.