Population-specific anthropometric standards
serve as a guide to forensic practitioners for identification
purposes. However, few studies have observed on whether
the relationship between stature and body parts differs
among populations. Our aim is to first assess the validity
of using hand and foot dimensions to estimate stature in
two geographically similar but linguistically different populations,
Sudanese Arabs and Somalis, and then secondly to
assess whether the relationship between hand and foot
dimensions and stature differ among these populations. Standard
anthropometric measurements were used to assess sexual
dimorphism. Regressions were performed to establish
the relationship between body parts and stature and were
compared among the populations to describe the allometry.
Comparisons between regression coefficients reveal that 1)
stature has the same relationship with hand and foot lengths
in each population and 2) the relationship between stature/
hand length and foot length is the same (isometric) in both
populations. These results suggest a close affinity between
the two groups. Hand and foot length can be used to estimate
the stature of individuals but not to identify sex or differentiate
one population from the other.