Anthropometric Comparison of Nasal Index Between Punjab and Kashmir Populations

The present study presents a comparative analysis of nasal index values between two distinct North Indian populations: Punjab and Kashmir. A total of 200 adult individuals (100 from each region), aged between 18 and 40 years, were selected using stratified random sampling. Standard anthropometric techniques were employed to measure nasal height and width, and nasal index was calculated accordingly. The results revealed statistically significant differences in nasal index between the two populations. The Punjabi population predominantly exhibits the mesorrhine nasal type (88%), characterized by medium-width noses, while only 6% show the leptorrhine type, while the Kashmiri population shows a striking dominance of the leptorrhine type (94%), with an additional 6% exhibiting hyperleptorrhine features, indicating extremely narrow noses. The independent samples t-tests conducted on nasal measurements between the Punjab and Kashmir populations reveal statistically significant differences across all variables for both males and females, with p-values less than 0.0001 in each case. These findings underscore the influence of environmental pressures on anatomical traits, highlighting how nasal index serves as a valuable anthropometric marker for climatic and regional differentiation.