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Document Type

Article

Abstract

Spouse correlations of stature, weight, triceps skinfold thickness, and blood pressure are calculated for Samoans residing in traditional (N = 46), intermediate (N =95), and modern (N = 81) areas of American Samoa. Correlations are also calculated for these traits by length of marriage. Analysis of the coefficients by area of residence reveals that couples in the intermediate area show a significant correlation for stature (p < .01), and couples residing in the modern area show significant correlations for stature (p < .05), systolic blood pressure (p < .01), and diastolic blood pressure (p < .05). Analysis by length of marriage reveals that couples married 15 or fewer years show significant correlations for stature (p <.01), triceps skinfold thickness (p < .05), systolic blood pressure (p < .001), and diastolic blood pressure (p <.05). Analysis of concordance for sociocultural traits by area of residence shows that, as modernization increases, the percentage of couples concordant for level of education increases, the percentage concordant for church participation and area of birth decreases, and the percentage concordant for religious preference remains the same. It is suggested that divisions in the population based on education may be occurring with modernization and that these divisions may aggregate certain phenotypes in the population, resulting in the spouse similarities for stature and blood pressure.

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