Stature Estimation by Lower Limb Anthropometry in Iranian Medical Students; تخمین قد توسط آنتروپومتري اندام تحتانی در بین دانشجویان پزشکی ایرانی



S Kazemzadeh SHOKOOFEH ; M Khanezad MARYAM ; S Mojaverrostami SINA ; S Madadi SOHEILA ; T Alizamir TAHEREH
Source: Tehran University Medical Journal Published:2024

Abstract

Background: Estimating the stature and identifying unknown bodies is an important challenge for forensic specialists and anthropologists, especially when dismembered and mutilated body parts are found. The purpose of this study was to predict the stature by measuring lower limb parameters and to determine the relationship between stature and thigh length, leg length, foot length and lower limb length in Iranian medical students. Methods: This study was conducted in the Department of Anatomy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran in 2019 (May-August). The study population consisted of 200 Iranian medical students (100 males and 100 females, aged 17-36 years). Four lower extremity parameters (thigh length, leg length, foot length, and lower limb length) and stature were measured on the left side according to standard measurement methods. All measurements were performed according to ethical standards provided by the Ethics Committee for Human Experimentations. The measurements were done using standard anthropometric instruments. Linear regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between the stature and the lengths of the four lower extremity parameters. Then, stature prediction was done based on regression equations. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Independent-samples t-test was used to compare the mean values of the anthropometric measurements between males and females. The relationships between quantitative data were evaluated using the Pearson’s correlation coefficient and linear regression was applied to determine the relationship between stature and lower extremity parameters. Results: The results of this study indicated a strong correlation between stature and lower limb length (r=0.892, P=0.000), foot length (r=0.852, P=0.000) and thigh length (r=0.805, P=0.000) and a moderate correlation between stature and leg length (r=0.505, P=0.000). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that lower limb dimensions and regression equations are appropriate for stature estimation in forensic medicine. However in the future, further research should be conducted to analyze the applicability of these equations for stature estimation in other Iranian populations. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.