Anthropometric Study and Stature Estimation in Lokaa, Ayiga, Agoi, and Ekoi Ethnic Groups of Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria

Anthropometric Study and Stature Estimation in Lokaa, Ayiga, Agoi, and Ekoi Ethnic Groups of Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria

Chapter One

 Objectives of the Study

 The objectives of this study were to:

1. determine some anthropometric parameters in Lokaa, Ayiga, Agoi and Ekoi ethnic groups of Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State,
2. investigate sexual dimorphism in anthropometric parameters of Lokaa, Ayiga, Agoi and Ekoi ethnic groups in Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State,
3. determine the relationship between stature and some anthropometric  parameters in Lokaa, Ayiga, Agoi and Ekoi ethnic groups of Yakurr Local Government  Area of Cross River State, Nigeria.
4. generate predictive equations for stature estimation for the study

Chapter Two

 LITERATURE REVIEW

  Historical Background of Stature Estimation

Variation is one of the most important phenomena occurring in humans, and it has been attributed to a number of factors such as mutation and natural selection. Many studies have emphasized the importance of anthropometric measurements as a means of studying variation in human populations as well as an important tool in forensic science for crime detection. In the 20^th century, the application of anthropometry to the study of racial  types was replaced by more sophisticated techniques for evaluating racial differences. Recently, anthropometry has found increase use in medical sciences especially in the discipline of forensic medicine (Ozaslan et al., 2003).

Estimation of the body size such as height and weight are required for assessment of growth, nutritional status, calculating body surface area and predicting pulmonary function of children (Amirsheybani et al., 2000; Gauld and Rakhir, 2004). Measurement of height is important for determination of basic energy requirement, standardization, and measures of physical capacity and for adjusting drug dosages (Jalzem and Gledhil, 1993). However, in some situations the exact height cannot be determined directly because the patient is unable to stand as a result of neuromuscular weakness, deformities of axial skeleton such as kyphosis, lordosis, scoliosis, loss of lower limbs and in patients who have undergone amputations (Duyar and Pelin, 2003; Duyar et al., 2006). In such patients, height does not reflect the body size and the use of height measurements in prediction equation is likely to produce error. For example, in scoliosis patients, the predicted spirometric values were underestimated when the measured body was used and under such circumstances, an estimate of height has to be computed based on another body parameter (Amirsheybani et al., 2001, De Mendonca, 2000).

The hand length was found to be the most reliable alternative and the hand can be used as a basis for estimating age-related loss in height. The length of the body while alive is one of the key parameters established in the course of identification of unknown skeletal remains (Auberch and Ruff, 2004; Hauser et al., 2005). Stature provides insight into various features of a population including nutritional health and genetics. Stature is considered as one of the parameters for personal identification (Anite, 2007).It is commonly accepted that standards for skeletal identification vary among different populations and the standard for one population may not be used for another (Thakur and Rai, 1987; Iscan, 1988).

Hand length could be used to predict body weight status and body surface area independent of the sex of the individual (Bidmos, 2009). Correlation between hand length and foot length has also been studied and that if the hand length is known, the foot length can be predicted and vice-versa. Hand length has been shown to be a reliable and precise means in predicting the height of an individual (Gauld and Rakhir, 1996: Ebite et al., 2000).

Jasuja et al. (1991) collected data from 256 adult males from different villages of Patiala district of Punjab. They measured their stature, foot length, foot breadth, shoe length and shoe breadth and derived multiplication factors from these measurements to calculate stature from the foot and shoe measurements. They also revised these multiplication factors to reduce error.

Nath and Chug (2002) made an attempt to formulate regression formulae for estimation of stature from hand and foot lengths among male and female Brahmins of Sundernagarb of Himachal Pradesh. They derived regression formulae for reconstructing height from hand length and foot length for males and females separately.

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Chapter Three

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS

The subjects that participated in the study were indigenes of Lokaa, Ayiga, Agoi and Ekoi ethnic group of Yakurr, Cross River State (n = 800 with the mean age ± S.D of 24.75± 4.05 years).

STUDY AREA

Random selection of subjects in urban and rural communities of Yakurr was made. Participants included students and non-students of the named communities.

Chapter Four

 RESULTS

ANALYSIS OF STUDY POPULATION

A total of eight hundred subjects (students and non-students) participated in this study (n= 800). This study comprising of 400 males and 400 females from Agoi, Ayiga, Ekoi and Lokaa ethnic groups was conducted in Cross River State (Yakurr L.G.A.), Nigeria. The age range of the study subjects was 18 – 32 years, while the mean age was 24.75 ± 4.05 years.

Chapter Five

DISCUSSION

Stature estimation is considered as one of the basic parameters of the investigation process in unknown and commingled human remains in medico-legal case work. Race, age and sex are the other parameters which help in this process. Stature estimation is of the utmost importance as it completes the biological profile of a person along with the other three parameters of identification (Danborno et al., 2009). Though stature is an important parameter in clinical practicethere are limitations in some clinical situations (Chittanatarat et al., 2012). Anthropometric measurements for stature prediction were suggested to solve this problem and many formulae have been reported(Chittanatarat et al., 2012). These measurements included demispan length, sitting height, leg length, foot length and hand dimensions (Joshiet et al., 1964; Chumlea et al., 1985; Bassey, 1986; Brown et al., 2000; Kwok et al., 2002; Gauld et al., 2004; Fatmah, 2009). However, ethnic differences, gender and age are a major concern in this regard for application and external validation for other populations. The results of the descriptive statistics showed that males presented with statistically significant higher mean value of total stature than females. It can therefore be inferredthatmales are generally taller than females, which agrees with previous studies on stature estimation in Nigeria (Danborno and Elukpo, 2008; Danborno et al., 2008; Ebite et al., 2009; Numan et al., 2013; Ibegbu et al., 2014; Oria et al., 2016). Males also showed higher mean values compared to females for all the anthropometric measurementsp < 0.05 except for thigh circumference, chest circumference, waist circumference and hip circumference respectively which were significantly higher in the females than males. Also waist/height ratio values are insignificantly higher in the females.

Chapter Six

 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

 CONCLUSION

 Regression equations were derived for estimation of stature from measurements of body lengths. Males showed higher correlation between measured variables and stature compared to females. This allowed for formulation of more accurate regression equations for males compared to females. The accuracy of the equations in this study is lower than that obtained for intact combine long bones but higher than that for other skeletal elements like metacarpals, metatarsals, intact calcaneus and fragments of  femur, humerus, tibia etc. Therefore, combined intact bones should be used in the estimation of stature when they are available for forensic analysis. However, in the absence of intact long bones, equations presented in this study can offer a reasonable estimate of stature.

Differences of stature estimation between the four ethnic groups of Yakurr, Cross River state of Nigerian population has been established in this study, indicating population specificity in height estimations.

In conclusion, sitting height, thigh length, leg length, hand breadth, demispan length, waist/height ratio etc, and combination could be applied for height estimation in Yakurr adult‟s population. Although sitting height had the highest precision as single prediction parameter, other parameters were also proposed with acceptable error margin. Combination of double and triple parameters might decrease actual deviation in all subjects. However, over-estimation might be of concern in shorter people and vice versa in taller people. Therefore, formula prediction should be used only in cases when direct measurement of stature is not possible.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the findings of the present study, the following recommendations are formulated:

1. The present study was conducted on direct measurement of only 28Further research with a larger study design and more number of measurable variables should be done to establish the relationship between stature and anthropometric variables of the body in the Agoi, Ayiga, Ekoi and Lokaa ethnic groups in Nigeria.
2. Differences of stature estimation between four ethnic groups of Cross River state of Nigerian population has been established in this study, indicating population specificity in stature estimations. Therefore, further studies should be conducted on different other ethnic groups of the state in other to establish a more reference data base for stature estimation in Nigerian populations, because morphological variations related to race and population can be worked out using population- based
3. Model or formula creations were performed based on health.yHowever, external validation into diseased patients should be performed in future studies.
4. The present approach is new especially for the four ethnic groups, as no report of stature estimation has been given for that population, we therefore recommend further studies in the four ethnic groups in .order to validate the current

 CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOWLEDGE

• Baseline data were obtained (mean height for Agoi = 162.61 ± 4.87 cm; Ayiga = 166.00 ± 7.29 cm; Ekoi = 167.15 ± 6.03 cm and Lokaa = 167.04 ± 5.53cm).
• Regression equation for stature estimation from sitting height, thigh length, leg length and demispan length was generated in the total study population as follows:Agoi, HT = 2.33 + (0.908*TL) + (0.040*Age) + (0.981*LL) + (I.007*SHt) + (0.074*HB), r = 0.99, S.E.E. = 0.64, p =<0.001.
• Ayiga, HT = 19.73 + (1.190*TL) + (0.108*DSL) + (1.018*SHt) + (2.523*WHtR), r = 0.96, S.E.E. = 2.09, p = <0.001.
• Ekoi, HT = -5.08 + (1.097*SHt) + (0.767*TL) + (0.967*LL) + (0.101*DSL), r = 0.98, S.E.E. = 1.08, p = <0.001.
• Lokaa,HT = 30.85 + (1.043*SHt) + (1.238*LL), r = 0.92, S.E.E. = 2.15, p = <0.001.
• Also alternative means of predicting stature from sitting height, thigh length, leg length, hand breadth and demispan length was achieved among the ethnic groups in Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River

REFERENCES

• Abdel-Malek, A. K., Ahmed, A. M., Sharkawi, S. A. and Hamid, N. M. (1990). Prediction of stature from hand measurements. Forensic Science International, 46: 181-187.
• Aggrawal, A. N., Gupta, D., Ezekiel, L. M. and Jindal, S. K. (2000). Statistical estimation of height from arm span in north Indian Subjects. Indian Journal of Physiological Pharmacology, 44 (3): 329-334.
• Agnihotri, A. K., Agnihotri, S., Jeebun, N. and Googoolybe, k. (2008). Prediction of stature using hand dimensions. Journal of Forensic and Medicine, 15 (8): 479-482.
• Agnihotri, A. K., Purwar, B., Googoolybe, K., Agnihotri, S. and Jeebun, N. (2007). Estimation of stature by foot length. Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 14 (5): 279-283.
• Amirsheybani, H. R., Crecelius, G. M., Timothy, N. H., Pfeiffer, M., Saggers, G. C. and Manders, E. K. (2000). The natural history of growth of hand. Part I: Hand area as a percentage of body surface area. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 107 (3): 726 -733.
• Amirsheybani, H. R., Crecelius, G. M., Timothy, N. H., Pfeiffer, M., Saggers, G. C. and Manders, E. K. (2001). The natural history of growth of hand. Part II: Hand length as a treatment guide in paediatric trauma patients. Journal of Trauma, 49: 457 – 460.
• Anderson, M. M., and Blais, M. M. and Green, W. T. (1956). Green, growth of the normal foot during childhood and adolescence length of the foot and interrelations of foot, stature and lower extremity as seen in serial records of children between 1–18 years of age. American Journal of Physical. Anthropology, 14: 287-308.

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