Anthropometry of children with cerebral palsy at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is one the most common causes of disability among children in developing countries and is often associated with poor growth. The assessment of growth and nutrition of children is an important aspect of health monitoring and is one of the determinants of child survival. Aim: To assess the nutritional status of children with CP as seen in Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). Subjects and Methods: A prospective case-control study was conducted on children with CP attending the weekly pediatric neurology clinic of the LUTH between April 2005 and March 2006. Controls were apparently healthy children being followed up at the children′s out-patient clinic of LUTH for acute illness that had resolved. Anthropometric measurements of weight, length/height, mid-upper arm circumference, and skinfold thickness were taken according to the protocols recommended by the International Society of the Advancement of Kinanthropometry. Statistical Analysis: EPI-INFO (version 6.04) was used for analysis. Chi-square test was used to determine associations. Student′s t-test was used to compare means of patients and matched controls. Probability P < 0.05 were taken as statistically significant. Results: The controls had higher weight than the patients with mean weight (standard deviation) of 13.7 (4.8) kg, and 12.0 (4.5) kg, respectively (P = 0.01). There were also statistically significant differences in the subscapular and biceps skinfold measurements between the patient and control groups (P = 0.00004 and 0.000008), respectively. Twenty-four (25.8%) and 5 (5.4%) of the patients had moderate and severe undernutrition compared to 6 (6.1%) and none, respectively, in the control group (P = 0.00005). Conclusion: Children with CP had significantly lower mean anthropometric parameters and were more malnourished compared with the control group of children matched for age, sex, and social class

Stature estimation from footprint dimensions in an adult Nigerian student population

Examination of footprints provides important evidence in crime scene investigations and helps in stature prediction of criminals. This study aimed to derive regression equations and multiplication factors for stature estimation from footprint dimensions in adult Nigerian medical students of the University of Lagos. Using an ink pad and a stadiometer, bilateral footprints and stature, respectively, were obtained from 230 subjects (100 males and 130 females) of Nigerian ancestry, aged 18-36 years upon satisfaction of the inclusion criteria and full written consent. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Sexual dimorphism in stature and footprint dimensions was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05) with males having greater values than the females. Analyses of bilateral asymmetry indicated significant left footprint preponderance (P < 0.05). There exist positive significant correlations (P < 0.05) between stature and footprint dimensions (T.1-T.5 lengths, breadth at ball [BAB], and breadth at heel [BAH]) in the males, females, and the pooled sample, with the only exception being the right and left breadths at heel in the males (r = 0.112 and 0.183, respectively). The right and left T.2 lengths exhibited the highest correlation with stature in the males, females, and the pooled sample with values of 0.704 and 0.703, 0.749 and 0.736, and 0.853 and 0.848, respectively. Footprint dimensions are significantly correlated with stature, with the footprint length (T.1-T.5) dimensions showing more reliability and accuracy in stature prediction than the footprint breadth (BAH and BAB) dimensions

Predictive equations and multiplication factors for stature estimation using foot dimensions of an adult Nigerian population

Abstract Background The determination of living stature is a key component of personal identification of individuals. In this study, we developed predictive regression models and multiplication factors to reliably estimate living stature from foot length and breadth in adult Nigerian undergraduate students at the University of Lagos. Materials and methods The study sample comprised 400 subjects (200 males and 200 females) of Nigerian parentage, aged 18–36 years who volunteered and satisfied the inclusion criteria. Following institutional approval, anthropometric measurements of stature, foot length, and foot breadth were taken with a stadiometer, a large sliding caliper and a small sliding vernier caliper respectively according to the protocol recommended by the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK). The data was analyzed for descriptive and inferential statistics using the SPSS statistical package version 20. Results Mean stature values of 176.44 ± 6.47 cm, 164.71 ± 6.70 cm, and 169.80 ± 8.79 cm were recorded for the males, females, and the pooled sample respectively. The mean values of the foot dimensions (right and left) in the males, females, and the pooled sample ranged from 9.49 ± 0.73 to 27.29 ± 1.30 cm. Independent t test exhibited statistically significant gender differences (P < 0.05) for all the parameters except age, with the males having consistently higher values than the females. Paired t test revealed the existence of bilateral asymmetry between right and left foot dimensions, except for the foot length in the males (P < 0.05). Significant positive correlation coefficients of stature with the foot length and breadth dimensions were found to range from 0.344 to 0.832 in the study. The multiplication factors computed for stature prediction from foot length and breadth ranged from 6.465 to 18.301 in the males, females, and the pooled sample. Conclusion This study has demonstrated that stature can be predicted from foot dimensions, with the foot length showing more accuracy and reliability than the foot breadth. The prediction models established from this study will be very useful in disaster victim identification from mutilated human remains in Nigeria

Regression equations for the estimation of radial length from its morphometry in South‑West Nigerian population

Background to the Study: Where natural or man‑made disasters present bone fragments as it occur in forensic cases, regression equations derived from measurement of these bones fragments have been used to determine the length of the intact long bone. This study reports on the morphometry of the radius and the estimation of its length using regression equations in a Nigerian population.Methods: The maximum length of the radius was measured using an osteometric board. The distal breadth, sagittal diameter at mid‑shaft, transverse diameter at mid‑shaft (TDM), vertical radial head height (VRHH), maximum head diameter (Max. HD), and minimum head diameter (Min. HD) were measured using digital vernier caliper while the circumference of the radial head and the circumference at the radial tuberosity were measured using an anthropometric tape. Pearson correlation and Persian regression were used to derive the liner regression equations for the measured parameters that showed a correlation with the length of the radius. Result: Estimation of the length of the radius from the measures of Max. HD, VRHH, and TDM were archived with relative accuracy. In deriving regression equations for the length of the radius of the right and left sides, irrespective of sides, the Max. HD and TDM were both significant in estimating the length of the radius; on the right side only the Max. HD exhibited significant correlation while on the left side, both the Max. HD and VRHH exhibited significant correlation.Conclusion: These findings may help in anthropometric, forensic, and archaeological investigation for the estimation of the stature of the remains of unknown bodies using regression equations and could serve as the basis of comparison for future studies in a Nigerian population.Keywords: Morphometry, Nigeria, radial length, regressio