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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Modeling body height estimation from head circumference according to age in infants from birth to 12 months
Seda Sertel Meyvaci1, Turgut Meyvaci2, Handan Ankarali3
1Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkiye. sedasertelmeyvaci@gmail.com.
Insights
This study demonstrates that infant head circumference can predict body height and estimate age. A model was developed using head circumference measurements for infants aged 0-12 months, aiding forensic identification.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Anthropology
- Pediatric Growth Assessment
Background:
- Body height is crucial for forensic individual identification.
- Estimating stature from head circumference in infants is valuable for forensic applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate body height from head circumference in infants (0-12 months).
- To develop a model for age estimation in infants using head circumference.
- To establish population-specific predictive models for height and age.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated head circumference measurements from 500 healthy infants (250 girls, 250 boys).
- Employed linear, quadratic, cubic regression, and MARS models to estimate height from head circumference.
- Utilized exponential growth curves for age estimation based on head circumference.
Main Results:
- A linear relationship between head circumference and height was observed, particularly from the 6th month onwards.
- Gender and measurement periods influenced the head circumference-height relationship.
- Significant exponential relationships were found between head circumference and age in both genders, enabling age estimation.
Conclusions:
- Head circumference is a reliable indicator for estimating body height in infants.
- A validated model using head circumference can accurately estimate infant age.
- These findings support the use of head circumference in forensic identification and pediatric growth monitoring.
Background:
Body height is an important measurement in the forensic identification of an individual. This study aimed to estimate height from head circumference measurements representative of the population according to age and to create a model for age estimation in infants from birth to 12 months.
Materials And Methods:
In the present study, head circumference measurements of 500 healthy infants, 250 girls and 250 boys, with known ages and heights were evaluated. To estimate height from head circumference separately for both sexes and across 8 different measurement periods, linear regression, quadratic and cubic models, and the nonparametric, nonlinear MARS model were used.
Results:
It was found that the relationship between head circumference and height was linear, particularly from the 6th month onward, according to sex and measurement periods. When the relationships between head circumference measurements and age in girls and boys were examined using the exponential growth curve, a significant relationship was observed. Exponential growth curve model parameters were developed for use in age estimation.
Conclusions:
The results of the present study showed that height can be estimated from head circumference measurements representative of the population according to age and that age can be estimated using the developed model.
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