Forensic appraisal of leg length as a predictor for determination of Nigerian students’ body height

Abstract

Appraisal of body height (Bh) from leg length (LL) and other anthropometric parts of an individual is very important in the identification of human skeletal remains. The objective of this study was to develop a model for the estimation of Bh_male, Bh_female and Bh_combined. The study was conducted in three selected tertiary institutions in Southwest Nigeria with a total of 324 students (162 male and 162 female) using the snowball techniques where the Bh and LL of the students were measured using stadiometer and sliding caliper. The data were analysed statistically using statistical package for social sciences v 21 software. The result showed mean values of 168.49 ± 9.19 cm of Bh_male, 168.15 ± 8.66 cm Bh_female and 168.32±8.91 cm Bh_combined. Similarly, the mean values of 96.40±7.29 cm LL_male, 96.27±6.96 cm LL_female and 96.33 ± 7.12 cm LL_combined were found. Furthermore, the coefficient of determination, R² was determined as 76.0%, 19.1% and 44.3%, respectively. Three regression models were formulated to determine the Bh_male, Bh_female and Bh_combined with LL_male, LL_female and LL_combined as the predictors. It was concluded that this formulated model could be a veritable tool for the development of forensic anthropological studies for Nigerian student population.