The Neck Circumference-to-Shoulder Width Ratio as a Novel Anthropometric Indicator for Dyslipidemia Screening in...

Dyslipidemia has become a significant health problem, often affecting individuals' psychosocial and physical health. Various anthropometric parameters were used for the screening of dyslipidemia. This study evaluates the reliability of the neck circumference (NC) to shoulder width (SW) ratio as a novel anthropometric indicator in the screening of obesity, correlating with BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, and lipid profile.

This is a cross-sectional study conducted at the outpatient department of Community and Family Medicine at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalagiri. Patients aged more than 18 years who underwent lipid profile investigation were included, and persons with neck swelling or injury, shoulder injury, pregnant women, hormonal disorders, congenital anomalies, and those post-radiotherapy were excluded from the study. Anthropometric measurements were conducted according to standard guidelines. The correlation between the NC/SW ratio and the body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, and lipid profile parameters (total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and non-HDL) was assessed using the Pearson correlation coefficient. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Data analysis was performed using SPSS Statistics version 26.0 (IBM Corp., Released 2019. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.).

Approximately 98 participants with complete data were included for the analysis, of which 50% belonged to the 41-60 years age group, and 50% were males. Diabetes and hypertension were present in 27% and 35% of the study participants, respectively. The mean (SD) NC, SW, and NC/SW ratio of the study participants were 36.6 (3.6), 41.7 (3.8), and 0.9 (0.1), respectively. The majority of participants were obese (63%), and 28% were overweight. Among the study participants, around 87.8% had at least one abnormal lipid profile. NC had a significant positive correlation with total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL level, and a negative correlation with HDL level. The NC/SW ratio showed a positive correlation with total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

NC was significantly correlated with BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, and lipid profile. The NC/SW ratio also exhibited a correlation with BMI. The NC and NC/SW ratio can be used for the screening of dyslipidemia.