A Cross Sectional Study of Correlation of ATD Angle with Body Fat Distribution in North Indian Population

Abstract

Introduction: Obesity is associated with significant global morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of

obesity is on the rise, especially in low- and middle-income countries and there is a need for a tool for the

prevention of this disease As per the available pieces of evidence, dermatoglyphics can be utilized for this

purpose to some extent. Dermatoglyphics is a study of configurations of epidermal ridges on certain body

parts, namely, palms, fingers, soles, and toes.. The term is derived from ancient Greek: derma = skin, glyph

= carving. Dermatoglyphic patterns begin to develop in the 10th week of gestation and are complete by the

24th week.

Aim: The primary objective of this study was to investigate the correlation of the “atd angle”(a dermatoglyphic

parameter) with the body fat distribution (or obesity).

Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in the department of anatomy, Maharishi Markandeshwar

Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Mullana (Ambala). It included 400 participants (200 males and

200 females) from students and employees of the college. All demographic and anthropometric parameters

along with the hand imprints were obtained using standard procedures. For determining statistical

significance of difference among various variables qualitative data was analyzed by Pearson’s Chi square

test and quantitative data by student’s independent t-test and one way ANOVA .P-value of < 0.05 was

considered significant. All analysis was done using SPSS version-20.

Results: Overall 24% of subjects (32% of males and 16% of females) were found to be obese (BMI?25kg/

m2).A statistically significant difference was observed in the values of both right and left hand“atd angle”for

the comparison of obese and non-obese subjects(p=0.009 and

<0.001,respectively). A statistically significant positive correlation of left hand “atd angle” was observed

with BMI.

Conclusion: Dermatoglyphics can potentially be used as a tool for the prediction of obesity.

Recommendations: A large-scale study with a well-defined protocol is required for establishing

dermatoglyphics as a screening tool for obesity.