Standing height and its estimation utilizing tibia length measurements in adolescents from western region in Kosovo

Abstract

SUMMARY: The purpose of this research is to examine standing height in both Kosovan genders in the Western Region as well as its association with tibia length, as an alternative to estimating standing height. A total of 664 individuals (338 male and 326 female) participated in this research. The anthropometric measurements were taken according to the protocol of ISAK. The relationships between body height and tibia length were determined using simple correlation coefficients at a ninety-five percent confidence interval. A comparison of means of standing height and tibia length between genders was performed using a t-test. After that a linear regression analysis were carried out to examine extent to which foot length can reliably predict standing height. Results displayed that Western Kosovan male are 179.71±5.99 cm tall and have a tibia length of 41.35±3.01 cm, while Western Kosovan female are 166.26±5.23 cm tall and have a tibia length of 37.60±2.52 cm. The results have shown that both genders made Western-Kosovans a tall group, somewhat taller that the general Kosovan population. Moreover, the tibia length reliably predicts standing height in both sexes but, not reliably enough as arm span. This study also confirms the necessity for developing separate height models for each region in Kosovo as the results from Western-Kosovans do not correspond to the general values.