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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
09:36

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

Inter- and intra-rater reliability of neck circumference measurements in children

Robert C LaBerge1, Jean Philippe Vaccani, Robert M Gow

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Pediatric Pulmonology
|December 9, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Neck circumference measurement is reliable for children aged 6-16 years, aiding in identifying potential obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This study confirms good inter- and intra-rater reliability, suggesting single measurements are sufficient.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Clinical Measurement
  • Sleep Medicine

Background:

  • Increased neck circumference is a known risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults.
  • Rising childhood obesity rates highlight the need to evaluate neck circumference as an OSA identifier in pediatric populations.
  • Systematic evaluation of neck circumference measurement reliability in children was previously lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the inter- and intra-rater reliability of neck circumference measurements in children aged 2-16 years.
  • To establish the consistency of neck circumference measurements for pediatric OSA screening.

Main Methods:

  • Recruited children aged 2-16 years with limb fractures.
  • Conducted neck circumference measurements using standardized paper tapes by three independent investigators.
  • Utilized two tapes for the 2-5 year group (N=43) and three tapes for the 6-10 (N=18) and 11-16 (N=40) year groups.

Main Results:

  • Excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC=0.952-0.989) was found for children aged 6-16 years.
  • Substantial variation (ICC=0.701) was noted in the 2-5 year age group.
  • Good intra-rater reliability (ICC range: 0.776-0.950) was demonstrated across all age groups, with repeatability coefficients of 1.2-1.4 cm for 6-16 year olds.

Conclusions:

  • Neck circumference measurement demonstrates very good inter-rater and good intra-rater reliability in children aged 6-16 years.
  • Single neck circumference measurements are sufficient for reliable assessment in children aged 6-16 years.
  • These findings support the use of neck circumference as a reliable screening tool for pediatric OSA.
Abstract

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