A Correlation and A Regression analysis for Estimation of Stature from Head Length and Head breadth in Bhavnagar Region, Gujarat

Stature is one of the primary identification data of an individual, hence occupies a unique position in medico legal cases and in the anthropological research areas. Thus assessment of stature from different parts of the body is an area of interest to anthropologists and forensic experts.

A cross sectional study was carried out on 427 males and 428 females belonging to the Bhavnagar region. The individuals of both the sexes aged between 18 years to 25 years were included in the study. The stature, Head length and Head Breadth of the individuals were measured. The stature was measured as vertical distance from vertex to the floor in mid-sagittal plane. Head length and Head Breadth were measured with the help of spreading caliper.

The statistical analysis showed the correlations between stature against Head length and Head Breadth measurements studied in males and females. The correlations were found to be statistically significant. The correlation coefficient was more between head length and stature (0.281) than head breadth and stature (0.173) in males while in females correlation coefficient was more between head breadth and stature (0.208) than head length and stature (0.132). The significant positive correlations between these two measurements and stature indicate that these variables can be successfully used to predict stature. Regression equations for stature estimation were calculated separately for males and females.