Geometric morphometric footprint analysis of young women

Jacqueline Domjanic,Horst Seidler,Philipp Mitteroecker,Martin Fieder

doi:10.1186/1757-1146-6-27

Jacqueline Domjanic, Horst Seidler + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1757-1146-6-27

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Abstract

BackgroundMost published attempts to quantify footprint shape are based on a small number of measurements. We applied geometric morphometric methods to study shape variation of the complete footprint outline in a sample of 83 adult women.MethodsThe outline of the footprint, including the toes, was represented by a comprehensive set of 85 landmarks and semilandmarks. Shape coordinates were computed by Generalized Procrustes Analysis.ResultsThe first four principal components represented the major axes of variation in foot morphology: low-arched versus high-arched feet, long and narrow versus short and wide feet, the relative length of the hallux, and the relative length of the forefoot. These shape features varied across the measured individuals without any distinct clusters or discrete types of footprint shape. A high body mass index (BMI) was associated with wide and flat feet, and a high frequency of wearing high-heeled shoes was associated with a larger forefoot area of the footprint and a relatively long hallux. Larger feet had an increased length-to-width ratio of the footprint, a lower-arched foot, and longer toes relative to the remaining foot. Footprint shape differed on average between left and right feet, and the variability of footprint asymmetry increased with BMI.ConclusionsFoot shape is affected by lifestyle factors even in a sample of young women (median age 23 years). Geometric morphometrics proved to be a powerful tool for the detailed analysis of footprint shape that is applicable in various scientific disciplines, including forensics, orthopedics, and footwear design.

Highlights

Most published attempts to quantify footprint shape are based on a small number of measurements
The analysis of normal and pathological variation in human foot morphology is central to several biomedical disciplines, including orthopedics, orthotic design, sports sciences, and physical anthropology, and it is important for efficient footwear design
principal component (PC) 1 was a contrast between flatfeet and high-arched feet, whereas PC 2 represented the differences between short and wide feet with short toes versus long and narrow feet with long toes

Summary

Introduction

Most published attempts to quantify footprint shape are based on a small number of measurements. We applied geometric morphometric methods to study shape variation of the complete footprint outline in a sample of 83 adult women. The analysis of normal and pathological variation in human foot morphology is central to several biomedical disciplines, including orthopedics, orthotic design, sports sciences, and physical anthropology, and it is important for efficient footwear design. In the present paper we apply geometric morphometric methods to study the shape of the entire footprint outline in a sample of adult women. In contrast to a small number of indices, the set of all landmark coordinates preserves the geometry of the measured landmark configurations, and statistical results, such as group means, regressions, or principal components, can be represented as actual shapes or shape deformations. Geometric morphometrics is of superior statistical power than most traditional morphometric approaches and is effective for exploratory studies [17,18,19,20,21]

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