The Effect of Sex and Stature on Footprint Patterns Among Students of Different Age Groups in a South Indian Medical College

Sex and stature determination from footprints found at crime scenes can narrow down possibilities and help forensic investigation. Personal identification is very useful and plays a crucial role in situations where skeletal remains are not available. Among all biological parameters present, stature serves as an important identifying characteristic for narrowing down the possibilities of an unknown individual. Among all evidence, footprints are most commonly seen in crime scenes and disaster sites. Being easily obtainable, these provide valuable information in finding the biological profile of an individual. This study aims to find a possible correlation between footprint measurements and stature in a sample of 200 right footprints collected from 100 men and 100 women ranging from 18 to 23 years in age. This study also aims to find sexual dimorphism between footprint dimensions and the stature of an individual. Seven measurements were taken from each footprint, which include five lengths (T1 to T5) and two breadths (ball breadth (BB) and heel breadth (BH)) to correlate with the stature of an individual. The stature of individuals was also measured using a stadiometer. Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) was calculated for each length with stature to find which footprint dimension correlates most with the stature of an individual. Student's independent t-test was also applied to compare the footprint dimensions and stature between male and female participants. When both sexes were analyzed together, positive correlation with stature was observed in all measurements, with ball breadth showing the highest association (r=0.473, p<0.001). An independent t-test showed statistically significant differences (p<0.05) in all footprint dimensions and stature between male and female participants, with higher values consistently observed in men. The study concludes that footprint dimensions can serve as a dependable tool for distinguishing sex and estimating stature. All recorded footprint parameters displayed clear sexual dimorphism. While the correlations with stature were moderate, they were statistically significant, highlighting the usefulness of footprints in forensic identification.