Facial and Body Sexual Dimorphism in Four Traditional African Populations: Relevance Today

Abstract

This article presents a study of sex differences in four traditional East African populations from Tanzania (Chagga, Haya, Maasai, and Hadza). The study examined sexual dimorphism in anthropometric parameters (body height, weight, body mass index, handgrip strength, wrist diameter, digit ratios), body composition parameters (muscle and bone mass, fat and water percentages, visceral fat), and facial shape (using geometric morphometrics based on frontal photographs) in 1422 adult men and women (aged 16-90). Results showed that facial sexual dimorphism in all four study groups was less pronounced than in European and Asian populations, and most pronounced at younger ages. Population differences were most prominent in wrist diameter, digit ratios, body fat and water content, and visceral fat. Sexual dimorphism in anthropometric parameters and body composition remained relatively constant with age, except for visceral fat and water content. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of both fundamental and applied significance.