Abstract

Background: Accurate stature estimation is essential in forensic identification, clinical practice, and nutritional assessment, particularly when direct height measurement is unfeasible. Forearm length has emerged as a reliable anthropometric surrogate, yet population-specific regression equations are critically lacking for rural-dwelling young adults in India. Objectives: To evaluate the correlation between forearm length and stature in healthy MBBS first-year students stratified by sex and age, and to derive a linear regression equation for stature estimation from forearm length. Methods: A prospective observational cross-sectional study enrolled 300 firstyear MBBS students (151 males, 149 females; age 18–24 years) using convenience sampling at a rural tertiary medical college. Stature and forearm length (radial head to ulnar styloid) were measured in duplicate following ISAK protocols. Pearson’s correlation, sex-stratified analysis, and simple linear regression were performed using SPSS v23. Results: Mean stature was 166.23 ± 8.73 cm and mean forearm length 25.05 ± 1.56 cm. A strong positive correlation between forearm length and stature was observed (r = 0.86, p < 0.001). Sex correlated strongly with stature (r = 0.67) and forearm length (r = 0.58), both p < 0.001. Age showed a weak but significant correlation with stature (r = 0.14, p = 0.016) but not with forearm length (r = 0.07, p = 0.202). The derived regression equation was: Stature (cm) = 45.612 + 4.814 × Forearm Length (cm) [R² = 0.739, SEE = 4.46 cm, F = 844.889, p < 0.001]. Conclusion: Forearm length is a strong, reproducible predictor of stature in young adult medical students from a rural Indian tertiary institution. The derived regression equation provides a practical, population-specific forensic and clinical tool.

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