Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

Document Type

Article

Anticipated Volume

96

Anticipated Issue

4

Abstract

Human pigmentation traits are among the most distinctive and variable phenotypes, providing valuable insight into human hair phenotypic diversity and population variation. Hair color is primarily determined by the relative proportions of eumelanin and pheomelanin, with genetic factors playing a dominant role. This study aimed to assess the distribution of hair pigmentation phenotypes and their association with demographic variables in the Pakhtun population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. A total of 1,910 participants, aged 13–40 years, were included in the study after applying the exclusion criteria. Hair color was classified into four groups: black, brown, blond, and red, based on standardized phenotyping methods. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS (p < 0.05 considered significant). Black (51.1%) and brown (44.7%) hair were the most frequently observed phenotypes, while blond (2.9%) and red (1.3%) hair occurred at considerably lower frequencies. A statistically significant but weak association was observed between sex and hair color (χ² = 8.45, p = 0.038, Cramer’s V = 0.067), with red hair being more frequent among females. Similarly, a statistically significant but weak association was observed between age group and hair color (χ² = 23.56, p = 0.023, Cramer’s V = 0.064), with differences in the distribution of black and brown hair across age groups. These findings establish baseline descriptive data on hair pigmentation in the sampled Pakhtun population and contribute to the limited phenotypic literature on pigmentation variation in Pakistan and South Asia. Further studies integrating standardized quantitative phenotyping with molecular genetic data may help clarify the biological basis of hair pigmentation variation in this population and contribute to the development and evaluation of forensic DNA phenotyping approaches.

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