Abstract
Neck circumference (NC) is being used to identify the risk of chronic diseases. There is a high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Latin America, and neck circumference is a simple and practical measurement to assess this, especially in primary health centers. We analyzed the correlation between the NC anthropometric indicator and other anthropometric measurements such as BMI and waist circumference (WC) in eight Latin American cities. We applied Pearson’s correlation to identify the correlate NC with the other anthropometric variables stratified by sex; the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) by sex were evaluated according to the cut-off established with the Youden Index. The strongest correlations between NC and WC were found when stratified by sex (women: r = 0.71; men: r = 0.69, respectively) followed by the correlation between NC and BMI (r = 0.65, both sex). NC cut-off points of 39.0 cm in men and 32.9 cm in women identified those individuals with an increased WC and 39.8 and 33.7 cm, respectively, for a substantial increase in WC. For BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2 for men, the cut-off point was 37.5 cm, and for women, it was 33.1 cm, and for BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2, the cut-off points were 39.2 and 34.2 cm, for men and women, respectively. Conclusion: NC proved to be a useful, practical, and inexpensive tool that can be used to identify, evaluate, and monitor overweight and obese individuals.
Highlights
Excessive fat accumulation in the body is detrimental to health, as it is associated with different diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease [1,2].There are different methods or indicators to measure excess fat
We found that an Neck circumference (NC) cut-off point of 39 cm identifies overweight in men when compared to waist circumference (WC) and 39.8 cm for obesity, and, in women, the cut off points were 32.9 and
Our study found a moderate correlation between NC and WC and NC and body mass index (BMI); both correlations improved when stratified by sex
Summary
Excessive fat accumulation in the body is detrimental to health, as it is associated with different diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease [1,2].There are different methods or indicators to measure excess fat. BMI is the simplest and best-known method of all It has limitations, since it does not measure body fat or its location, nor can it differentiate between fat and lean tissue, resulting, for example, in a diagnosis of overweight or obesity in people with a high percentage of muscle mass [3]. Another important and commonly used marker is WC, which is widely used to determine the accumulation of abdominal fat [4,5]. In the case of WC, the population, especially women, may feel discomfort when being measured and may be affected by the time of day when it is measured [8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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 callMore From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Disclaimer: 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.
