NCJ Number
222149
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 53 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2008 Pages: 65-68
Date Published
January 2008
Length
4 pages
Annotation
For American Blacks and Whites of both sexes (n=247), this study examined the relationship between stature and sacral height, hip height, and femur head diameter measured on dry bone.
Abstract
The study found that sacral height (SH) measured on dry bone had higher MSE (mean square error) scores and generally lower correlations with stature compared to SH measured from magnetic resonance (MR) images and stature reported by Pelin et al. There are several possible reasons for the differences between the findings of the current study and Pelin's study besides the method used to measure SH. These include interobserver error and differences in sample size, mean age of the sample, ancestry, selection criteria, and methods used to obtain known stature. In the current study, the accuracy of stature estimation based on measurements of the pelvic region was found to differ by sex and ancestry, although not significantly. The correlation between stature and hip height, SH, and femur head diameter (HD) was greater in American Blacks than Whites, and greater in females than males. Homogeneity in slopes among groups suggests that the differences between ancestral and sex groups are primarily due to sampling; however, it is possible that sex and ancestry differences in the relationship between pelvic region dimensions and stature have some influence. Blacks, on average, have shorter sacra and hips relative to stature, and females generally have longer sacra and hips relative to stature than males. Dimensions of the pelvic regions (SH, HH, and HD) measured on dry bone correlate significantly with stature, but the error in the prediction is probably too great for equations based on these dimensions to be of use to forensic anthropologists in estimating stature. 3 tables, 4 figures, and 30 references