Arm span (AS) has been reported to be a good substitute for height measurement in osteoskeletally deformed patients and in the elderly with osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between arm span and height of the Itsekiris of Nigeria. The study employed a cross-sectional study design involving 300 healthy Itsekiris between the age of 20 and 70 years. The height and arm span of all volunteers were measured to the nearest centimeter. Height was measured with the subject on bare feet, feet together and with the calf, heel, buttocks and upper back touching the wall or stadiometer. The subjects head was positioned erect with the eyes looking forward. Arm span accordingly was measured with a tape from the tip of the middle finger of one hand to the tip of the middle finger of the other hand, with the subject standing straight and back to the wall, both arms adducted to 90°. In this index, there was a weak positive correlation (0.048) which was not significant (p ≥ 0.05) between the male height and arm span, which suggested that arm span is not a good estimator of height for the male population. In the female population, there was a strong positive relationship (0.797) which was significant (p ≤ 0.001) between female height and arm span. This suggests that arm span was a good estimator of height for the females only in the population considered. Since arm span was a good predictor of height in only the female population, it is important for separate height models to be developed for each population on the account of ethnic, racial and gender differences.
Key words: Arm span, Height, Itsekiris, Relationship, Estimation
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