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.

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