Hand Length and Hand Breadth: A Study of Correlation Statistics among Human Population

Hand Length (HL) and Hand Breadth (HB) have been extensively used in research to estimate stature of individuals for identification. The relationship of Hand Length and Hand Breadth in relation to various body measurements was studied but the correlation between these two variables has not yet been studied. Aim The present study made an attempt to find out possible correlations or association between hand length and hand breadth and to provide a standard table for prediction of hand dimension among males and females. Methodology The present research was conducted in Rajasthan with sample size 147 with 73 males and 74 females in the age group 18 above. Hand Length and Hand breadth was measured in cm using anthropometric instrument sliding caliper. Measurements was taken from both right and left side of the hand from each individual. The results were computed and analyzed using computer software IBM SPSS version 20.0. Results The results depict significant male female differences between the variables. Pearsons correlation analysis shows statistically significant and positive correlation between Hand length and Hand Breadth. Conclusion It can be concluded that if hand length was known, hand breadth can be estimated as they are positively correlated hence this study will prove helpful in situation where the trace evidence was recovered and from that complete evidence can be derived by forensic expert which will aid in forensic investigation.