Introduction
This experiment will examine the effects of age and gender on blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood against the inside walls of the arteries. As blood moves throughout the body, it pushes against these walls, keeping it moving throughout the body (Mader, 2016).
As the arteries become narrower, due to a buildup of plaque, the pressure on the inside walls increases and blood pressure rises. This can result in hypertension, or high blood pressure, which forces the heart to work harder to supply oxygen and nutrients to the body (Mader, 2016).
Blood pressure has two components, systolic pressure and diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure occurs when the heart contracts and pushes blood into the arteries. After this push, …show more content…
After menopause, blood pressure in women heightens to the point of becoming similar to that in men of the same age (Reckelhoff, 2016). This could be the result of reduction in female sex hormones, particularly estrogen. According to Reckelhoff (2016), “It is possible that with the loss of estrogens at menopause, the unopposed effect of androgens in postmenopausal women may contribute to their elevated [blood pressure].” This assumption has yet to be tested, however.
Given this data, I hypothesize that if a person’s age increases, then his or her blood pressure will increase; also, if a subject is a male, then his blood pressure will be higher than a premenopausal female of the same age and health status.
To test this hypothesis, I will use a blood pressure cuff to measure the systolic and diastolic numbers of 100 test subjects—both males and females of various ages—who are separated into groups by gender and age. I will then calculate and compare the mean numbers of each group. If blood pressure increases with age and is generally higher in males than in females, the above hypothesis will be …show more content…
Based on the medical records of the subjects from ages 18 – 24, this group likely showed a decrease in blood pressure because of better overall well-being (healthier average BMIs and no high-salt diets, lack of exercise, alcohol consumption, or family history of hypertension) than the previous age group (Blood Pressure, 2016).
In each age group, men’s average blood pressure remained higher than that of women, ultimately ending with men’s blood pressure being 5 mm Hg higher than women’s in the 45-54 age groups (Blood Pressure, 2016).
These data support the hypothesis that a person’s blood pressure will increase with age and that blood pressure of men is generally higher than that of premenopausal women of the same age and health status.
However, this experiment could be improved by using a longitudinal study over subjects’ lifespans to examine how individual blood pressures change over time. Analysis of the subjects’ background information could also be used to make more accurate comparisons, as BMI, diet, exercise, and family medical history can influence an individual’s blood pressure. Therefore, taking this data into account could either change the outcome of the experiment or strengthen the current
This experiment will examine the effects of age and gender on blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood against the inside walls of the arteries. As blood moves throughout the body, it pushes against these walls, keeping it moving throughout the body (Mader, 2016).
As the arteries become narrower, due to a buildup of plaque, the pressure on the inside walls increases and blood pressure rises. This can result in hypertension, or high blood pressure, which forces the heart to work harder to supply oxygen and nutrients to the body (Mader, 2016).
Blood pressure has two components, systolic pressure and diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure occurs when the heart contracts and pushes blood into the arteries. After this push, …show more content…
After menopause, blood pressure in women heightens to the point of becoming similar to that in men of the same age (Reckelhoff, 2016). This could be the result of reduction in female sex hormones, particularly estrogen. According to Reckelhoff (2016), “It is possible that with the loss of estrogens at menopause, the unopposed effect of androgens in postmenopausal women may contribute to their elevated [blood pressure].” This assumption has yet to be tested, however.
Given this data, I hypothesize that if a person’s age increases, then his or her blood pressure will increase; also, if a subject is a male, then his blood pressure will be higher than a premenopausal female of the same age and health status.
To test this hypothesis, I will use a blood pressure cuff to measure the systolic and diastolic numbers of 100 test subjects—both males and females of various ages—who are separated into groups by gender and age. I will then calculate and compare the mean numbers of each group. If blood pressure increases with age and is generally higher in males than in females, the above hypothesis will be …show more content…
Based on the medical records of the subjects from ages 18 – 24, this group likely showed a decrease in blood pressure because of better overall well-being (healthier average BMIs and no high-salt diets, lack of exercise, alcohol consumption, or family history of hypertension) than the previous age group (Blood Pressure, 2016).
In each age group, men’s average blood pressure remained higher than that of women, ultimately ending with men’s blood pressure being 5 mm Hg higher than women’s in the 45-54 age groups (Blood Pressure, 2016).
These data support the hypothesis that a person’s blood pressure will increase with age and that blood pressure of men is generally higher than that of premenopausal women of the same age and health status.
However, this experiment could be improved by using a longitudinal study over subjects’ lifespans to examine how individual blood pressures change over time. Analysis of the subjects’ background information could also be used to make more accurate comparisons, as BMI, diet, exercise, and family medical history can influence an individual’s blood pressure. Therefore, taking this data into account could either change the outcome of the experiment or strengthen the current