Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 27, 2026

A Caenorhabditis elegans Nutritional-status Based Copper Aversion Assay
Published on: July 26, 2017
Neck circumference is associated with nutritional status in elderly nursing home residents
Beatriz Lardiés-Sánchez1, Jose M Arbones-Mainar2, Javier Perez-Nogueras3
1Nutrition Department of University Hospital Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón (IIS-Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain.
Objectives:
Anthropometry is an easy and noninvasive method to evaluate nutritional status in institutionalized elderly people who are often bedridden. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the neck circumference (NC) and nutritional status of elderly nursing home residents and to find cutoff points for NC size to identify individuals at risk of malnutrition.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was developed with data collected from 352 elderly people living in five public nursing homes. Different anthropometric measures and the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) were used to determine nutritional status. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were built for each anthropometric variable to determine their sensitivity and specificity for predicting the risk of malnutrition according to the MNA.
Results:
The mean age of the participants (59% females) was 83 years old. In total, 48.3% of women and 45.5% of men were at risk of malnutrition according to their MNA scores. All anthropometric measurements were highly intercorrelated in both men and women, indicating a high degree of collinearity. Bootstrapped linear regression was used to assess the strength of the association between an individuals' nutritional status and their anthropometric parameters. Calf circumference and NC presented the best predictive value with the highest sensitivity for diagnosing the risk of malnutrition in both institutionalized elderly men and women. The best cutoff points of NC to identify elderly nursing home residents at risk of malnutrition were 35.2 cm for females and 37.8 cm for males.
Conclusions:
NC is associated with other classical anthropometric parameters and malnutrition status in elderly people living in nursing homes.
Related Concept Videos
The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
Parentral Nutrition: Centeral and Peripheral Parental Nutrition
PN can be administered through two primary routes:
1. Central Parenteral Nutrition (CPN):
CPN involves delivering a high concentration of nutrients through a large vein. This is typically achieved using a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) or,...
Microbial Nutrition
Muscles of the Anterior Neck
Arteries of the Head and Neck
The internal carotid arteries supply blood to the anterior portion of the cerebrum. They enter the...
Veins of Head and Neck
On the other hand, the vertebral veins, unlike their arterial counterparts, are not primarily responsible for brain drainage. Instead, they drain the cervical vertebrae, spinal cord, and some small...
