Forty-three Veneti females living in Adelaide, Australia and fifty-nine Veneti males from the same city were studied. The Italian sample included eighty-one females and twenty-nine males.

Non-invasive anthropometric techniques were used to assess height, weight, grip strength and Neuromuscular Reaction Time (NMRT). Performance in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) and pulmonary function were also assessed. In addition Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated and a questionnaire used to assess level of education and assure Veneti ancestry for at least 2 generations was distributed.

All variables decline with increasing age, confirming an overall decrease in functional performance. The values for all tested variables declined with similar magnitudes in both the Italian and the Australian samples of Veneti. An exception was weight, which was shown to be significantly greater among Australians than Italians (p>0.05).

Age influenced the variables more strongly than country of residence. This suggests that the overall changes observed may be universal and not country-linked. It can be concluded that although the environment plays a substantial role in the aging process the differences between the Italian and Australian environment were not as marked as to produce significant differences in the process of aging.