Estimation of Stature from Footprint Anthropometry Using Regression Analysis: A Study on the Bidayuh Population of East Malaysia

الملخص

The human foot has been studied for a variety of reasons, i.e., for forensic as well as non-forensic purposes by anatomists, forensic scientists, anthropologists, physicians, podiatrists, and numerous other groups. An aspect of human identification that has received scant attention from forensic anthropologists is the study of human feet and the footprints made by the feet. The present study, conducted during 2013-2014, aimed to derive population specific regression equations to estimate stature from the footprint anthropometry of indigenous adult Bidayuhs in the east of Malaysia. The study sample consisted of 480 bilateral footprints collected using a footprint kit from 240 Bidayuhs (120 males and 120 females), who consented to taking part in the study. Their ages ranged from 18 to 70 years. Stature was measured using a portable body meter device (SECA model 206. The data were analyzed using PASW Statistics version 20. In this investigation, better results were obtained in terms of correlation coefficient (R) between stature and various footprint measurements and regression analysis in estimating the stature. The (R) values showed a positive and statistically significant (p < 0.001) relationship between the two parameters. The correlation coefficients in the pooled sample (0.861–0.882) were comparatively higher than those of an individual male (0.762-0.795) and female (0.722-0.765). This study provided regression equations to estimate stature from footprints in the Bidayuh population. The result showed that the regression equations without sex indicators performed significantly better than models with gender indications. The regression equations derived for a pooled sample can be used to estimate stature, even when the sex of the footprint is unknown, as in real crime scenes.