Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The hip bone is the most sexually dimorphic element of the human skeleton, crucial for forensic identification. This pilot study aims to develop a preliminary discriminant function model using metric parameters of the anterior border of the hip bone for sex determination in a contemporary North Indian sample. METHODS: An observational study was conducted on 88 adult human hip bones (44 male, 44 female) sourced from two medical colleges in Jaipur, India. Eight linear parameters were measured using digital Vernier calipers. The sample was randomly split into a training set (n=62) for function development and a validation set (n=26). Independent samples t-test identified significant variables, which were then incorporated into a stepwise discriminant function analysis to generate a preliminary sex classification model. RESULTS: All eight metric parameters demonstrated significant sexual dimorphism (p < 0.001). The stepwise analysis selected three variables: the straight distance from the anterior superior iliac spine to the symphysial surface (ASIS-SS), the straight distance from the anterior inferior iliac spine to the pubic tubercle (AIIS-PT), and the arch distance from the anterior superior iliac spine to the symphysial surface (Arch ASIS-SS). The derived discriminant function achieved a classification accuracy of 95.2% (59/62) in the training set and 92.3% (24/26) in the validation set. CONCLUSION: These initial findings suggest that the anterior border of the hip bone provides reliable metric indicators for sex determination in this specific sample. The developed function shows promise as a potential tool for forensic anthropologists working with North Indian skeletal remains, but its generalizability requires validation on larger, more diverse samples.