Stature estimation in male and female populations of India and Nigeria depending on other anthropometric parameters using multiple regression analysis
Authors: Usman A. , Gupta A. , Ghosal A. , Biswas A. , Adarsh K. 
Published: September 2024

In cases of mass disasters, accidents, or criminal investigations where the identity of victims is unknown certain basic anthropological parameters are helpful in ascertaining these like race, sex, age and stature. Estimating stature using multiple body measurements such as shoulder breadth, foot length, thigh length, and knee height is a common approach in anthropometry and forensic anthropology. The presence of sex and population differences in anthropometric indicators allows these measurements to be used not only to estimate the stature of an individual, but also to determine sex, different races or populations based on skeletal remains. The purpose of the study is to develop and practically verify the work of regression equations for estimating stature depending on other anthropometric indicators of men and women of two ethnically diverse populations. For this study, anthropometric data were gathered from two distinct population groups: Indian (n=102) and Nigerian (n=205). Basic demographic details along with measurements of shoulder breadth, sitting shoulder height, sitting foot length, sitting knee height, and sitting thigh length were obtained using standardized techniques as per the established anthropometric protocols. Statistical analysis was performed using appropriate software packages such as SPSS, R, or SAS. The multiple regression method was used to estimate body length depending on other anthropometric indicators. As a result of the conducted multiple linear regression analysis, reliable relationships between stature and specific anthropometric measurements in Nigerian and Indian men and women were established. It was found that stature is highly likely to depend on knee height in a sitting position in Nigerian women (R2=0.531, p<0.001), as well as hip length, foot length, and shoulder height in a sitting position in Indian men (R2=0.725, p <0.001). Stature in Indian women reliably depends on hip length and foot length in a sitting position, and in Nigerian men - on hip length, foot length, shoulder width and shoulder height in a sitting position, but the regression equations have a coefficient of determination less than 0.5 (respectively, R2=0.463, p<0.001 and R2=0.405, p<0.001) and therefore do not have much significance for forensic purposes. Additional groups (30 people for each category) were used to test the obtained regression equations. The high correlation coefficients (0.6<r<0.75) observed in both test groups indicate the reliability of the regression models and the suitability of the selected anthropometric measurements for the estimation of stature in these populations. The obtained data emphasize the importance of taking into account factors specific to the population when developing regression equations for the estimation of stature and emphasize the usefulness of anthropometric measurements in predicting this indicator for different gender and demographic groups of the population, although their further verification on larger and more diverse samples is necessary.