To Estimate Stature from Head Height in Western Rajasthan Population

Abstract

Background: Stature is an important biological parameter in medico-legal forensic examination. It may so occur that many a times highly decomposed or mutilated bodies or fragmentary remains of skull are brought for medico-legal examination. The present study was conducted to estimate the stature from head height. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted among 160 healthy population in the age group of 20 to 60 years including 80 males and 80 females. All the subjects were measured for stature and head height. It was measured with spreading caliper. All the measurements were recorded by same person. The recorded data was compiled and data analysis was done. Analysis included descriptive statistics, correlation between stature and head height and derivation of regression formulae for stature from head height. Results: In the present study a total population of 180 studied. Mean ± SD of stature was 165.34 ±7.75 cm. Mean ± SD of head height was 9.67 ± 0.74cm. Mean ±SD of age was 35.05 ± 9.23 years. Correlation coefficient (r) of stature and head height in age group 20-30 was 0.650 which was highly positively correlated. Similarly in 31-40 age group it was 0.432 i.e, it was moderately positively correlated. In 41- 50 ‘r’ is 0.413. In those aged 41-50 aged, stature and head height were highly positively correlated ‘r’ is 0.612. Coefficient of correlation for total population was 0.567 i.e, highly positively correlated. Correlation coefficient ‘r’ in males was 0.523 that shows high positive correlation and ‘r’ was 0.489 in females showing moderately positive correlation. Conclusion: The present study concluded that there was a positive correlation between stature and head height. In males, stature and head height had a high positive correlation whereas females shows a moderate positive correlation.