Bad health habits such as being less active and overweight once meant that hypertension was more prevalent in developed nations than in poorer ones. But as Western societies emphasize the importance of exercise and better diets, less developed nations, in turn, are seeing new health challenges come to the forefront. Such changes may have reversed the trend toward more hypertension in the industrialized world.

Researchers writing in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association, analyzed more than 100 studies on hypertension in 90 nations. The meta-analysis showed that in 2010, people age 20 and above in countries classified as low- or middle-income had a combined hypertension rate of 31.5 percent. For the same year, the rate of hypertension in high-income countries was lower at 28.5 percent. Worldwide, the overall rate was 31.1 percent. That’s nearly one-third of humanity struggling with a condition that puts them at higher risk for heart problems, kidney problems and other major health woes.

Over the previous decade, the changes in the distribution of hypertension were significant: Almost 3 percent lower for those in wealthier countries than in 2000 but nearly 8 percent higher for people in poorer ones.

The downturn in hypertension in developed nations provides a glimmer of hope. With concentrated focus on good health habits, perhaps poorer countries can achieve a similar result.

But do those poorer nations have the resources needed to buck the trend of rising blood pressure? And can the West sustain its improved hypertension numbers? As lifestyles around the world continuously change, wouldn’t it be nice if we had a global race to better health?