Body Weight Estimation from Hand Anthropometry among Minangs, an Indigenous Ethic Group in West Sumatra, Indonesia for Person Identification.

Background: Prediction of stature, body weight and gender form a scientific path for person identification during forensic investigation. Researchers are showing interest in developing standards for the prediction of the same from foot and hand anthropometry, considering the ethnicity or population. Human dismembered body parts are mostly found in natural calamities and bombing incidences, wherein person identity is a key element in the investigation. Aim and Objective: The present study was aimed to develop population specific standards for body weight prediction from hand anthropometry among Minang population in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Material and Methods: The study recruited 200 consented Minang people including 100 males and 100 females, following inclusion and exclusion criteria. Following the standard procedure, the body weight and ten hand length measurements from each subject were collected. The data were analyzed statistically using SPSS software and developed standards for body weight prediction from hand length measurements. Results: The mean body weight of the male was 60.02 kg while female showed 57.57 kg. The mean left hand lengths were slightly longer than mean right hand lengths, thus showing the bilateral asymmetry in the population. This study developed linear regression equations separately for males and females to predict body weight from left and right hand lengths. The correlation coefficient values were found to be higher in right hand lengths than left hand lengths. Conclusion: The present investigation concluded with the development of standards to predict body weight from hand length measurements of the study population. Even the presence of hand pieces with any one of the hand lengths is enough to determine body weight for person identification