Comparison of osteometric femoral bone dimensions among the South Africans of different ethnic groups and South African whites

ObjectivesThe main objective of this paper was to use femoral data to determine whether the different South African ethnic groups should be considered as a homogenous population, as has been assumed in previous studies. Furthermore regression equations for each ethnic group were constructed.MethodsThree standard femoral variables were used; bone length (BL), maximum head diameter (HD) and bicondylar width (BCB). The eight South African ethnic groups (Zulu, Tswana, Swazi, Sotho, Xhosa, Shan, Venda and Ndebele) were considered as the independent variable. They were also compared with femora from South Africans of European Descent (SAED). In total 230 male femora were obtained from the Dart’s Collection at Wits University, South Africa.ResultsThere were not any significant differences in bone length between the eight South African ethnic groups. However, bone length for SAED was significantly longer than for six of the ethnic groups, all except Zulu and Ndebele. Similarly all of the ethnic groups were significantly smaller than SAED for head diameter and bicondylar width. The Zulu and Ndebele femora were significantly larger than the other six African ethnic groups for HD and BCB. Regression equations were derived for the maximum length of femur from the maximum head diameter for all the groups separately.ConclusionFemora from SAED were significantly larger than for six of the eight African ethnic groups that were considered. However, the data from the Zulu and Ndebele femora suggest that they constitute a separate ethnic grouping. Thus we conclude that these eight South African ethnic groups cannot be considered as a homogenous population and that the Zulu and Ndebele groups should be considered as a distinct population.