AbstractBackground: Anthropology is the study of humans, subdivisions are the cultural anthropology and biological anthropology, and stature estimation is an important parameterin forensic examination for identification of skeletal remains. Objective: To evolve a regression equation to calculate stature from hand lengths and breadths using statistical methods in the south Indian region. Study Design: Cross Sectional Study. Place of study: Study was conducted in the department of Forensic Medicine, Government Medical College Mahbubnagar State Telangana. Methods: The present study consists of a cross-sectional sample of 192 subjects (96 males and 96 females) aged from 19 to 26 years. Observation and Discussion: Stature in male was 169.98 ± 1.99 and in female was 156.07 ± 2.09. It is observed that males have greater stature than females, and it was statistically significant. In our study the stature estimated in male was 169.98 ± 1.99 cm and in female was 156.07 ± 2.09 cm. It is concluded that males have greater stature than females. This phenomenon can be explained by the genetic constitution of male’s age of puberty being 2 years later in males as compared to females give them additional time for growth. Conclusion: In this study we have derived regression equations and multiplication factors to estimate stature from hand length and breadth for south Indian population from Mahbubnagar region.
Keywords: Hand Length; Hand Breadth; Regression equations; Stature.