Comparison of Accuracy of Gender Identification between Regression Models Derived from Hand, Foot Measurements and Long Bone Measurements in a Sample of Kolhapur Population

Introduction: Gender identification has been done using the measurements of various body parts such as trunk, vertebral column, limbs, long and short bones, hand, foot, frontal bone, etc.

Aim: The present study aims to compare the accuracy of the regression formula derived to predict gender using data on measurements of foot and hand with the formula derived to predict gender using the length measurements data of the long bones (tibia and ulna).

Methods: The samples are selected randomly from the patients attending outpatient services, the age range of the patients selected is 18-50 years. (n=1000; 500 males and 500 females). Subjects suffering from any kind of bone deformity were excluded. Vallois method was used to estimate the measurements of hand, foot, tibia, and ulna. Regression formulas were obtained from the hand, foot-long bones measurements; to predict gender, using multiple logistic regression.

Results: Differences between male’s and female’s measurements of hand (P<0.001), long bones (P<0.001), and foot (P<0.001) were significant. The accuracy of the model used to predict gender, which was calculated from the dimensions of hand and foot was 81.5%. The accuracy of the model used to predict gender calculated from the long bone measurement was 78.3%. Surprisingly, dimensions of hand and foot seems to be a better predictor of gender, than long bones (tibia and ulna) length in the Kolhapur population. The major strength of this study is that it is one of the largest studies conducted to identify gender using data on the measurements of hand and foot.

Conclusions: Dimensions of hand and foot are a better predictor (81.5%) of gender vs the length of long bones (tibia and ulna) (78.3%) in the Kolhapur population. The applicability of the methods on populations from other geographic areas should be tested on skeletal samples in which the sex is known, either through documentation, other anthropological methods, or genetic analysis.