Abstract
Background: Obesity, particularly in the upper part of the body, is a major health problem. Measuring the neck circumference (NC) and wrist circumference (WrC) is a relatively new method of differentiating between normal and abnormal fat distributions. This study aimed to evaluate the association of NC, hip circumference (HC), and WrC with different phenotypes of obesity and their metabolic status.Methods: In this multi-centric cross-sectional study, 4,200 students aged 7–18 years were selected from 30 provinces in Iran in 2014 by using a multistage cluster random sampling method. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) was defined based on the ATP III criteria modified for the pediatric age group. The subjects were classified into four groups according to their weight and metabolic status: metabolically healthy obese (MHO), metabolically non-healthy non-obese (MNHNO), metabolically non-healthy obese (MNHO), and metabolically healthy non-obese (MHNO).Results: Significant but different associations of NC, HC, and WrC with obesity phenotypes were documented in the entire population. Significant but different associations of NC, HC, and WrC with metabolic phenotypes were also found in the entire population. In the multinomial logistic regression, the association of the different obesity phenotypes with the study anthropometric indices increased significantly with increasing NC, WrC, and HC. Also, per one unit increment in NC, HC, and WrC, the odds of MHO, MNHNO, and MNHO increased compared to that of the MHNO phenotype.Conclusion: In children and adolescents, HC, NC, and WrC are significantly associated with obesity phenotypes and their metabolic status, and these metrics are suggested to be innovative, low-cost, and alternative tools for assessing them in different age and sex pediatric age groups.
Highlights
The prevalence of obesity is increasing to pandemic proportions in the world
The participation rate was 91.5% for taking blood samples from students (3,843 out of 4,200 students selected for blood sampling)
The results of our study demonstrated that students with both types of obesity had, on average, larger neck circumference (NC), hip circumference (HC), and wrist circumference (WrC) values than any of the other three types
Summary
In 2014, the WHO reported that 52% of adults worldwide are overweight and obese [1]. The prevalence of overweight and obesity is rising among children and adolescents in developing countries, rising from 8.1 to 12.9% in boys and from 8.4 to 13.4% in girls in 2013 [2]. Approximately one-fourth of children worldwide are obese or overweight [3]. The pathophysiology of obesity is complex and involves the interaction of various genetic, metabolic, environmental, and behavioral factors [4]. Among these factors, environmental factors are the most common cause of the epidemic of obesity, for example, a sedentary lifestyle (computer games and watching TV) and nutritional disorders (consumption of high-calorie foods and inappropriate diets) [5, 6]. This study aimed to evaluate the association of NC, hip circumference (HC), and WrC with different phenotypes of obesity and their metabolic status
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
