Estimation of stature from lower limb anthropometry: new formulae derived from contemporary Arabian males

ABSTRACT

There is an international paucity of studies assessing the utilization of anthropometric techniques for lower limbs apart from the feet in order to formulate mathematical legally admissible models to estimate stature. Additionally, Arabs in the Arabian Peninsula or Southwest Asian countries lack such studies. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between lower limb anthropometric parameters and stature in Saudi Arabian men and develop regression equations to estimate stature from these parameters. Furthermore, it aimed to explore the utility of new breadth parameters which have not been explored to date in living subjects. The stature and six lower limb dimensions of 100 right- handed Saudi men (aged 18–24 years) were measured bilaterally. The results showed the presence of asymmetry only in tibial lengths. There was a significant positive correlation between the parameters used and stature (p < 0.01), and it was the highest for the tibial length. Predictive accuracy of the developed models ranged from ±2.90 to 5.94 cm. Adding breadth measurements may improve the accuracy of the equations. This study establishes a lower-limb based forensic standard to estimate stature in commingled bodies of Saudi men.

KEYWORDS:

• Forensic anthropology
• anthropometry
• stature
• lower limb
• Saudi

Acknowledgments

This work was conducted at the College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the research grant (RC13/035) from the King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre (KAIMRC), National Guard Health Affairs, Saudi Arabia.