Abstract
BACKGROUND: In recent days, neck circumference (NC) has been suggested as a screening technique for overweight individuals because it is easy to measure, does not require instruments such as a stadiometer or weighing scale, and does not require calculations as in body mass index (BMI). Moreover, NC correlates with many fat-related anthropometric measurements and cardiovascular risk factors.
AIMS: The objective of this study was to find the association of higher NC with metabolic syndrome (MetS), insulin resistance (IR), and other metabolic complications.
SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Tertiary care teaching hospital, cross-sectional study.
METHODS AND MATERIALS: A total of 211 overweight and obese children aged between 5 and 13 years were recruited. Anthropometric parameters such as weight, height, NC, and waist circumference (WC) were measured. Fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, aspartate transaminase (AST), and alanine transaminase (ALT) were estimated. Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and MetS were derived.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Independent t-test and Chi-square analysis were applied for continuous and categorical variables, respectively, to find the association.
RESULTS: Out of 79 children in the high-NC group, 11 had MetS, whereas only 4 had MetS in the low-NC group of 132 children, which was statistically significant (X2 = 8.87; p = 0.003). Logistic regression analysis showed a significant association between high neck circumference and waist circumference (p = 0.00; AOR = 1.164).
CONCLUSIONS: High NC reflects high BMI and can predict MetS in overweight and obese children.