Estimating Height and Body Weight Using Foot Measurements

Year 2022, Volume: 8 Issue: 1, 74 - 86, 25.02.2022

Emrah Altuntaş , Ahmet Uzun

https://doi.org/10.19127/mbsjohs.1030302

Abstract

Objective: Determining the height and weight of the person is the most important factor in forensic cases in which the body integrity is impaired including natural disasters, traffic accidents, wars, murders and decomposition of the body. In this study, it was aimed to obtain linear and multiple regression models and formulas for determining height and weight from foot measurements.
Methods: The relationship between foot measurements and the height and weight of 180 adult individuals (90 males, 90 females) aged 20-65 years were analyzed retrospectively. Foot length and height, malleolar width, calcaneus length and height, 1-5. metatarsal length relationships with height were interpreted. Proximal metatarsal width, distal metatarsal width, 1-5. metatarsal distal end width, proximal end width and corpus width relations with a body weight were evaluated.
Results: For both feet in men, the correlations between height and foot length, height and 5th metatarsal length, and between weight and 2nd metatarsal distal end width were found to be significant. For both feet in women, correlation relationship between height and foot length, 1st metatarsal length, 3rd metatarsal length and in terms of body weight, the correlation relationship between the 1st metatarsal distal tip width, 3rd metatarsal corpus width, 4th metatarsal corpus width, and 5th metatarsal proximal tip width was found to be significant.
Conclusion: In the study, formulas for regression equations, height estimation and body weight were obtained from foot measurements. When the formulas have been developed are used according to gender, they show a deviation of 9-10 cm for height estimation and 11-14 kg for body weight estimation. When our formulas are evaluated by ignoring the gender difference, they show a deviation of less than 6 cm for height estimation and 8-9 kg for body weight. We believe that height and body weight from foot measurements could be predicted by the virtue of our formulas in similar populations. We think that our study results will be beneficial for forensic specialists, archaeologists, criminologists, and researchers who will conduct detailed research on this subject in estimating height and body weight from foot measurements in cases where body integrity cannot be preserved.

Keywords

Metatarsal bones, Foot, Height estimate, Body weight estimate

Thanks

Bu araştırma makalesinden bir kesit daha önce 2nd International Congress on Sports, Anthropology, Nutrition, Anatomy and Radiology kongresinde sözlü sunum ve tam bildiri metni olarak sunulmuştur.

References

• 1. Navega D, Vicente R, Vieira DN, Ross AH, Cunha E. Sex estimation from the tarsal bones in a Portuguese sample: a machine learning approach. Int J Legal Med. 2015;129(3):651-659.
• 2. Zeybek G, Ergur I, Demiroglu Z. Stature and gender estimation using foot measurements. Forensic Sci Int. 2008;181(1-3):54e.1-5.
• 3. Bidmos M. Adult stature reconstruction from the calcaneus of South Africans of European descent. J Clin Forensic Med. 2006;13(5):247-252.
• 4. Akhlaghi M, Bakhttavar K, Bakhshandeh H, Mokhtari T, Vasheghani Farahani M, Allahyar Parsa V, et al. Sex determination based on radiographic examination of metatarsal bones in Iranian population. International Journal of Medical Toxicology & Forensic Medicine. 2017;7(4):203-208.
• 5. Auyeung TW, Lee JSW, Kwok T, Leung JLPC, Leung PC, Woo J. Estimation of stature by measuring fibula and ulna bone length in 2443 older adults. J Nutr Health Aging. 2009;13(10):931-936.
• 6. Cardoso HF. A test of three methods for estimating stature from immature skeletal remains using long bone lengths. J Forensic Sci. 2009;54(1):13-19. 7. Chibba K, Bidmos MA. Using tibia fragments from South Africans of European descent to estimate maximum tibia length and stature. Forensic Sci Int. 2007;169(2-3):145-151.
• 8. Cordeiro C, Muñoz-Barús JI, Wasterlain S, Cunha E, Vieira DN. Predicting adult stature from metatarsal length in a Portuguese population. Forensic Sci Int. 2009;193(1-3):131e.1-4.
• 9. Holland TD. Estimation of adult stature from the calcaneus and talus. Am J Phys Anthropol. 1995;96(3):315-320.
• 10. Pelin C, Duyar I, Kayahan EM, Zagyapan R, Agildere AM, Erar A. Body height estimation based on dimensions of sacral and coccygeal vertebrae. J Forensic Sci. 2005;50(2):294-297.
• 11. Trotter M, Gleser GC. Corrigenda to “estimation of stature from long limb bones of American Whites and Negroes,” American Journal of Physical Anthropology (1952). Am J Phys Anthropol. 1977;47(2):355-356.
• 12. Abledu JK, Abledu GK, Offei EB, Antwi EM. Estimation of stature and body weight from footprint dimensions among a female population in Ghana. Aust J Forensic Sci. 2016; 48(2):195-202.
• 13. Atamtürk D, Duyar I. Age‐related factors in the relationship between foot measurements and living stature and body weight. J Forensic Sci. 2008;53(6):1296-1300.
• 14. Charmode SH, Kadlimatti HS. Correlation of foot dimensions with body weight–A study in young population of central India. Translational Research in Anatomy. 2019;16:100043.
• 15. Fawzy IA, Kamal NN. Stature and body weight estimation from various footprint measurements among Egyptian population. J Forensic Sci. 2010;55(4):884-888. 16. Krishan K. Establishing correlation of footprints with body weight—forensic aspects. Forensic Sci Int. 2008;179(1):63-69.
• 17. Moorthy TN, Khan HBMA. Determination of body weight from footprint length measurements among Melanau population in Malaysia. Medico-legal update. 2017;17(1):244-249.
• 18. Zeybek FG. Evaluation of Anthropometric Foot Anthropometric Measurements in Terms of Gender Detection and Height Estimation. İzmir. Master’s thesis, Dokuz Eylül University. 2012.
• 19. Bidmos M. Metatarsals in the estimation of stature in South Africans. J ForensicLeg Med. 2008;15(8):505-509.
• 20. Singh TS, Phookan MN. Stature and footsize in four Thai communities of Assam, India. Anthropol Anz. 1993;51:349-355.
• 21. Ozden H, Balci Y, Demirustu C, Turgut A, Ertugrul M. Stature and sex estimate using foot and shoe dimensions. Forensic Sci Int. 2005;147(2-3):181-184.
• 22. De Groote I, Humphrey LT. Body mass and stature estimation based on the first metatarsal in humans. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2011;144(4):625-632