<![CDATA[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.]]>
