| dc.description.abstract | Background: The incidence of disasters has tended to increase over the past twenty
years. These events have claimed many lives and require accurate identification
processes. Forensic identification uses comparisons of antemortem and
postmortem data to determine the identities of victims, including height
estimation, which can use the measurement of Metacarpal bone length for
estimating the victim's living height. Indonesia does not yet have an official
formula for height estimation from Metacarpal bones..
Aim: Analyzing the relationship between the lengths of Metacarpal bones I, II, III,
IV, and V and height, and deriving a specific regression formula to estimate height
based on the lengths of Metacarpal bones I, II, III, IV, and V.
Methods: This study is a cross-sectional analytic correlational research. The
sampling was conducted in North Sumatra from March to May 2024, involving 138
subjects. The sampling technique used was cluster random sampling. The variables
investigated in this study are height and the lengths of Metacarpals I to V.
Primary data were obtained through digital radiology (X-Ray) images of the right
and left hands, then processed using SPSS software version 26. Statistical analysis
methods
used include independent t-test, Pearson correlation, and linear regression.
Scatter plots were used to represent the correlation between two quantitative
variables. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant.
Results: The study conducted on 138 subjects found a significance value (Sig) for
height data (TB) and the lengths of Metacarpals I-V on both the right and left
hands to be less than 0.05 (Sig < 0.05), specifically 0.001. The correlation
coefficients between the Metacarpal lengths and height in this study ranged from
0.438 to 0.756, indicating a moderate to strong relationship. A total of 63 formulas
were developed to estimate height from the lengths of Metacarpals I, II, III, IV,
and V. The best predictors for determining height in females were using five variables (M1R, M2R, M3R, M4R, M5R; r = 0.727; SEE = 4.10), two variables
(M2R, M2L; r = 0.700;
SEE = 4.18), and one variable (M2R; r = 0.691; SEE = 4.20). The best predictors
for determining height in males were using five variables (M1R, M2R, M3R, M4R,
M5R; r = 0.691; SEE = 4.53), one variable (M4R; r = 0.654; SEE = 4.57), and
two variables (M4R, M4L; r = 0.654; SEE = 4.62). The best predictors for
determining height regardless of gender were using five variables (M1R, M2R,
M3R, M4R, M5R; r = 0.781; SEE = 5.17), two variables (M2R, M2F; r = 0.756;
SEE = 5.36),
and one variable (M2R; r = 0.754; SEE = 5.36).
Conclusion: All independent variables (Metacarpals I, II, III, IV, and V) show a
relationship with the dependent variable (height) with a moderate to strong
correlation. A Formula was found to estimate body height from the lengths of
Metacarpals bones I, II, III, IV, and V as well as a new formula for the people of
North Sumatra.
Key Words: height formula, Metacarpal, post mortem, identification, forensics. | en_US |
