Estimation of stature from head length in western Indian Gujarati adolescent population

Abstract

Introduction and Objectives: Stature is a very useful indicator of a person’s physical identity. One of the main objective of forensic investigation is establishing the identity especially when body parts are missing or mutilated. Stature estimation is an important step in positive identification of a person’s identity and various body parameters can be used to correctly estimate the stature. The current study was aimed at developing regression equations and to find out correlation between stature and head length in Gujarati adolescent population. Material and Methods: The study was conducted in 150 apparently healthy, adolescent medical students from various regions of Gujarat, India. The age of subjects ranged between 18 to 22 years. Head length and stature of the selected subjects were measured in erect posture. Obtained data were analysed to find correlation and derive regression equations for estimation of stature from head length. Result: The mean stature and head length was significantly different in males and females. Both the mean stature and mean head length were higher in males than females. Pearson’s correlation between stature and head length was significantly positive in both the sexes. We were also able to derive linear regression equations to correctly predict stature from the head length. Conclusion: Significant positive correlation was found between stature and head length in the present study. We also present the gender specific regression equation models in order to estimate the stature from the head length in Gujarati adolescent population. Keywords: Correlation, Head length, Stature.