Abstract:
Introduction: Human height or stature is the distance from the bottom of the feet to the top of
the head while the person is standing erect. Standing height measurements in older people, bed
ridden patients and peoples with skeletal deformity can be difficult to obtain due to different
reasons. Alternative height measurements such as arm span, knee height, and half arm span have
been shown to be useful surrogate measures of stature in older people, bed ridden patients and
peoples with skeletal deformity. However, their ability to predict height could differ across
populations and this has not been reported in Ethiopia.
Objective: The aim of this study is to develop formula that predicts height from arm span, half
arm span and knee height and assess its agreement with measured height.
Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted from March 15 to April 21, 2016 in Jimma
University assessing among a total of 660 (330 females and 330 males) subjects aged 18-40
years. A two-stage sampling procedure was employed to select study participants. Data were
collected using interviewer administered questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. Data
were edited and entered into EpiData version 3.1 and statistical analyses were done using SPSS
for windows version 20. Linear regression was fitted to predict height from the independent
variables. Bland-Altman analysis was employed to see the agreement between actual height and
predicted heights. P< 0.05 was used to declare as statistically significance.
Results: Multivariable linear regression analyses showed that arm span (β =0.63, P<0.001,
R2=87%), half arm span (β=1.05, P<0.001, R2=83%) and knee height (β=1.62, P<0.001,
R2=84%) are important predictors of height. The Bland-Altman analyses showed good
agreement between measured height and predicted height.
Conclusion: Height can be predicted from arm span, half arm span and knee height when
measuring standing height is not possible. Arm span was found to be the best predictor of height.
These equations can be used to assess the nutritional status of bed ridden patients, peoples with
disability and elderly population in Ethiopia.
