Handprint Dimensions as a Tool for Stature Estimation among Young Adults in Central India: A Cross-sectional Study

ABSTRACT Introduction: Gender discrimination from body parts is a difficult task in forensic investigations. In such instances, handprints can serve as valuable evidence. Gender-specific regression equations, suggesting correlation between stature and anthropometric hand measurements, can be a successful tool to know the unknown. Aim: To assess the relationship between handprint dimensions and stature and to develop regression models for stature estimation based on Handprint Length (HPL) and Handprint Breadth (HPB). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Anatomy at Late Shri Lakhiram Agrawal Memorial Government Medical College, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, India, from March 2024 to July 2024. A total of 82 participants (32 males and 50 females), aged 17 to 22 years, were enrolled, including both right- and left-handed individuals. Hand impressions of both hands were obtained by pressing clean, dry hands onto evenly spread moulding clay on a flat surface, ensuring uniformity and minimising distortion. From each impression, HPL and HPB were measured using standardised anthropometric procedures. Standing stature was recorded for each participant using calibrated instruments. Descriptive statistics were computed for all variables. Simple linear regression analysis and Pearson’s correlation coefficients (r) were used to evaluate associations, while the Student’s t-test was applied to assess statistical significance. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered indicative of significance. Results: Handprint measurements demonstrated a significant positive correlation with stature in both male and female participants, whose mean age was 19.5 years. The HPL of the right hand ranged from 15.4 cm to 22.8 cm, with a mean of 18.56±1.23 cm, while the left hand ranged from 15.7 cm to 22.7 cm, with a mean of 18.42±1.15 cm. Stature among the sampled population varied from 142 cm to 178.5 cm, with males exhibiting a mean stature of 169.68±4.97 cm and females 155.74±5.30 cm. Pearson’s correlation coefficients (‘r’) indicated a moderate positive association between HPL and stature in males (right hand: r=0.468; left hand: r=0.556) and females (right hand: r=0.477; left hand: r=0.528). In contrast, HPB showed a comparatively weaker correlation with stature across both genders. Conclusion: The consistency of regression models affirms HPL as a dependable predictor of stature and highlights the need for population-specific calibration.