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The aim of this study was to investigate whether body proportions change as stature increases in elite Spanish athletes. The sample includes a total of 2,030 participants, comprised of 1,357 adult males, and 673 adult females. The male athletes were classified into five groups by stature, and the female athletes were classified separately into four stature groups. Ten anthropometric measurements were collected, and eleven body proportions were calculated. The body proportions with significant differences between stature groups in males were relative arm length (0.53-1.60%), relative forearm length (0.69-2.08%), relative thigh length (1.17-1.56%), relative tibial length (1.37-6.39%), cormic index (-0.94 - -4.49%), Manouvrier index (1.60-9.60%), and crural index (1.05-4.79%). In females, the body proportions with significant differences were relative forearm length (1.43%), relative thigh length (1.94-3.88%), relative tibial length (2.74-4.56%), cormic index (-0.74 - -3.72%), and Manouvrier index (1.97-8.71%). The distal parts of the upper and lower limbs increase proportionally as stature increases, whereas relative hand and foot lengths, which are the most distal parts of the extremities, remain constant in elite athletes.

In forensic anthropology, generic equations are generally preferred for estimation of stature. However, recent studies have demonstrated that regression equations specific to stature groups yield more accurate predictions. Almost all previous studies have been conducted on male subjects, and it is not currently known how well such equations work for females. Therefore, this study aims to test whether regression equations specific to stature groups work for females as well. To this end, a cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate stature on a sample of 351 Spanish adult females. The participants were randomized into a calibration group (n = 185) and a validation group (n = 166). Equations for stature estimation based on tibial length were developed in the calibration group, which was categorized according to stature (short, medium, and tall) using the 15th and 85th percentiles as cut-off points. The standard errors of the estimations (SEEs) for the group-specific regression equations (SEE = 2.35-2.66 cm) were lower than for the general formula derived for all participants of the calibration group (SEE = 3.46 cm). The specific equations resulted in smaller differences between estimated and recorded statures than the generic equation when we tested the equations with the validation group. Additionally, the SEE values of the stature-specific equations are lower compared to generic equations applied to other human populations. In conclusion, the group-specific equations from tibial length have high accuracy compared with previously derived equations for Spanish females and other populations. This procedure for estimating stature thereby improves the tools available to forensic scientists.

It is well-known that secular trends affect human stature and constitution, and this fact should be taken into consideration in forensic anthropology, especially in stature estimation. Recently, stature-group-specific equations have been developed to take into account these variations. The aim of the present study is to estimate living stature according to tibial length in different stature groups in a sample of Spanish adult males in order to improve the accuracy of previous equations. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 495 Spanish Caucasian participants who were randomized into two groups, the study group with 249 participants and the cross-validation group with 246 participants. Specific equations were obtained according to stature groups using the 15th and 85th percentiles as cut off points. The results showed that the coefficient of determination (R 2 ) and standard error of estimation (SEE) were lower with the specific equations based on stature groups (R 2 =0.22-0.57; SEE=2.12-2.66cm) than the equation with all participants of the study group (R 2 = 0.77; SEE=3.29cm). The equations were tested in the cross-validation group, whose results showed more accuracy in the equations for a stature <185.9cm (i.e., in people with short and medium statures). In conclusion, the stature-group-specific equations based on tibial lengths of Spanish adult males are more accurate for stature estimation than other equations that have been formulated in the Spanish population. In forensic settings, it is recommended to use regression equations specific to stature groups when estimating stature., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The measurements of feet and footprints are especially important in forensic identification, as they have been used to predict the body height and weight of victims or suspects. It can be observed that the subjects of forensic-oriented studies are generally young adults. That is to say, researchers rarely take into consideration the body's proportional changes with age. Hence, the aim of this study is to generate equations which take age and sex into consideration, when stature and body weight are estimated from foot and footprints dimensions. With this aim in mind, we measured the stature, body weight, foot length and breadth, heel breadth, footprint length and breadth, and footprint heel breadth of 516 volunteers (253 males and 263 females) aged between 17.6 and 82.9 years using standard measurement techniques. The sample population was divided randomly into two groups. Group 1, the study group, consisted of 80% of the sample (n = 406); the remaining 20% were assigned to the cross-validation group or Group 2 (n = 110). In the first stage of the study, we produced equations for estimating stature and weight using a stepwise regression technique. Then, their reliability was tested on Group 2 members. Statistical analyses showed that the ratios of foot dimensions to stature and body weight change considerably with age and sex. Consequently, the regression equations which include these variables yielded more reliable results. Our results indicated that age and sex should be taken into consideration when predicting human body height and weight for forensic purposes.

This study is to evaluate whether it is possible to predict living stature from sacral and coccygeal vertebral dimensions. Individual vertebral body heights, sacral height (SH), and sacrococcygeal height (SCH) were recorded from the magnetic resonance images of 42 adult males. Sum of the heights of five sacral vertebrae (sigmaS), the first four coccygeal vertebrae (sigmaC), and the total height of the sacral and the first four coccygeal vertebrae together (sigmaSC) were also recorded. Linear regression equations for stature estimation were produced using the above mentioned variables. The regression equations were constructed and tested by using jack-knife procedure. Statistical analyses indicated that the combined variables (SH, SCH, sigmaS, sigmaC, sigmaSC) were more accurate predictors of stature than the heights of individual vertebrae. The results of the study pointed out that the equations derived from sacrococcygeal dimensions perform somewhat better than ones based on foot and head variables, but worse than those based on long-bone length. As a conclusion, the dimensions of sacral and coccygeal vertebrae could be used for stature estimation when long bones are not available.

Long bone length is one of the best-known indicators of human stature. Although the long bone length/height ratio differs in tall and short individuals, no detailed study has investigated whether specific formulae should be used to calculate height in different stature groups. This study proposes a new height estimation method. Body height and tibia length were measured in 121 male subjects aged 18.0-34.3 years. Three subgroups were established according to body height (short, medium, or tall), using the 15th and 85th percentiles as cutoff levels. The general formula and a group-specific regression formula were used to estimate height in each subgroup. A control group with the same properties as the study group was analyzed in the same manner. Particularly with "short" and "tall" subjects, the difference between true height and the height predicted by the group-specific formulae was smaller than the difference observed when the general formula was used. These discrepancies were statistically significant. When estimating height based on tibia length, the individual's general stature category should be taken into consideration, and group-specific formulae should be used for short and tall subjects., (Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Most forensic and biological anthropological studies use the stature-estimation formulae developed by Trotter and Gleser. In recent decades, studies of morphological differences between populations have indicated that population-specific formulae are necessary to obtain accurate estimates. A number of equations have been devised for the Turkish population. Previously, we introduced a "general formula" and three "stature-group-specific formulae" based on tibial length. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether formulae in the literature are suitable for estimating height in the Turkish population. To make this assessment, we compared the accuracy of formulae designed for Turkish people to the accuracy of formulae devised for other populations. We also evaluated the accuracy in short, medium, and tall height groupings. The formulae were tested on 110 healthy Turkish male adults, with estimated height compared to true height in each case. Analysis showed that the Trotter-Gleser formula for Mongoloids was most accurate for estimating stature in the study group as a whole. The formulae of Sağir for the Turkish population and our previously published "general formula" were the next most accurate methods, respectively. When the 110 subjects were categorized as short (1652 mm and below), medium (1653 to 1840 mm), and tall (1841 and above), the stature-group-specific formulae calculated in the present study were more accurate than all other equations for subjects at the height extremes. The results of this study indicate that stature-group-specific formulae are more reliable for forensic cases.