Global Advanced Research Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences (GARJMMS) ISSN: 2315-5159
April 2016 Issue Vol. 5(4), pp. 116-122
Copyright © 2016 Global Advanced Research Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Stature estimation from head length and head breadth of adult Tiv and Idoma ethnic groups of North Central Nigeria

Terkula Kpela¹*, B. Danborno², S.S. Adebisi² and S.A. Ojo³

¹Department of Anatomy, College of Health Sciences, Benue State University, Makurdi, Nigeria.
²Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
³Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

*Corresponding Author Email: kpelaterkula@gmail.com, dookpelu@yahoo.com;  Mobile:  +234 806 783 8483

Accepted 15 April, 2016

Abstract

Stature is the distance between the vertex and the standing surface. It provides one piece of information that may aid individual identification especially where only cephalo-facial remains are available for forensic and postmortem examination. Stature prediction occupies a central position in anthropological research and forensic identification. Stature formulae are population and sex specific. The aim of this study was to set general formulae of stature estimation using head length and head breadth among adult Tiv and Idoma ethnic groups. The sample consisted of 828 volunteers aged 18-32 years, out of whom 418 were Tiv (218 male, 200 female) and 410 were Idoma (222 male, 188 female). The protocol was approved by Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria and participants gave informed consent. Demographic data was collected through self-administered questionnaire and stature, head length and head breadth was measured. Data was analyzed using statistical package SPSS for windows version 20 (IBM Corporation, New York, USA). Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, correlation and regression analyses were used. Statistical significance was considered at p<0.05. The mean stature of Tiv males was 170.4±11.09 and Tiv females was 160.8±8.76 with statistically significant difference between both means (p<0.001).  The mean stature of Idoma males was 173.42±9.46 and Idoma females was 162.4±8.74 with statistically significant difference between both means (p<0.001). Ethnic differences were observed in males for which mean values were significantly higher in Idoma subjects (p<0.002). Head length and head breadth showed significant positive correlation with stature with multivariate regression equations having lower values of SEE in both ethnic groups. Head length and head breadth are, therefore, good predictors of stature in adult Tiv and Idoma ethnic groups with head length more accurate than head breadth. Multivariate equations from these measurements are more reliable when compared to univariate equations. There is need to conduct studies on older and younger populations of these ethnic groups so as to develop formulae for those other groups as well.

Keywords: head length, head breadth, regression equation, stature estimation, Tiv, Idoma.