Estimation of stature and body weight from footprint dimensions among a female population in Ghana

Abstract

Footprints recovered from crime scenes are valuable in establishing personal identity (e.g. sex, stature and body weight) in forensic investigations. While standards for doing this have been documented in several populations, no study to date has demonstrated stature and weight estimation standards from footprint dimensions among Ghanaian subjects. The purpose of this study is to verify the utility of footprints in stature and body weight estimation in 50 Ghanaian female students at Koforidua polytechnic, Ghana. Bilateral footprints were obtained from all the study subjects and seven measurements were collected from each footprint. The results indicated a positive correlation between all the footprint dimensions and stature/weight. The correlation coefficients for weight estimation (R = 0.190–0.313) were not as high as stature estimation (R = 0.353–0.676). Linear regression analysis indicated higher error estimates (SEE) for body weight estimation (10.94–11.23 kg) than for stature estimation (6.64–8.66 cm) using these dimensions. This suggests that the estimation of body weight from footprints is not as reliable as stature estimation. Compared with other footprint dimensions, T2 was the best estimate of stature and body weight. Similar studies involving males and females of different age groups across different parts of the country, particularly endogamous populations, are required to confirm these findings among Ghanaians, as elsewhere.