Abstract
BackgroundEstablishing personal identity is one of the main concerns in forensic investigations. Estimation of stature forms a basic domain of the investigation process in unknown and co-mingled human remains in forensic anthropology case work. The objective of the present study was to set up standards for estimation of stature from the foot and its segments in a sub-adult female population.MethodsThe sample for the study constituted 149 young females from the Northern part of India. The participants were aged between 13 and 18 years. Besides stature, seven anthropometric measurements that included length of the foot from each toe (T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5 respectively), foot breadth at ball (BBAL) and foot breadth at heel (BHEL) were measured on both feet in each participant using standard methods and techniques.ResultsThe results indicated that statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between left and right feet occur in both the foot breadth measurements (BBAL and BHEL). Foot length measurements (T1 to T5 lengths) did not show any statistically significant bilateral asymmetry. The correlation between stature and all the foot measurements was found to be positive and statistically significant (p-value < 0.001). Linear regression models and multiple regression models were derived for estimation of stature from the measurements of the foot. The present study indicates that anthropometric measurements of foot and its segments are valuable in the estimation of stature. Foot length measurements estimate stature with greater accuracy when compared to foot breadth measurements.ConclusionsThe present study concluded that foot measurements have a strong relationship with stature in the sub-adult female population of North India. Hence, the stature of an individual can be successfully estimated from the foot and its segments using different regression models derived in the study. The regression models derived in the study may be applied successfully for the estimation of stature in sub-adult females, whenever foot remains are brought for forensic examination. Stepwise multiple regression models tend to estimate stature more accurately than linear regression models in female sub-adults.
Highlights
Establishing personal identity is one of the main concerns in forensic investigations
Forensic podiatry is the application of sound and researched podiatric knowledge and experience in forensic investigations, to show the association of an individual with a scene of crime, or to answer any other legal question concerned with the foot or footwear that requires knowledge of the functioning foot [1,2]
Significant (p < 0.05) side differences occurred in the foot breadth measurements (BBAL and breadth at heel (BHEL))
Summary
Establishing personal identity is one of the main concerns in forensic investigations. The significance of the human foot and its bones, and foot prints in identification has been successfully reported in the past [2]. Kanchan et al [24] have reported the correlation of hand and foot dimensions for personal identification in mass disasters. Earlier studies of the estimation of stature from human foot bones [25,26,27,28,29], foot dimensions [30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39], foot prints and foot outline [40,41,42] reveal that the human foot, its bones and its impressions can successfully be used in estimation of stature in forensic and legal examinations
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