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Relationship between neck circumference and body composition: a cross-sectional study based on a Chinese population.
Meiling Hu1,2, Min Zhou1, Xin Sun1
1The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
Frontiers in Public Health
|November 24, 2025
Summary
Neck Circumference (NC) is a reliable obesity screening tool for young females, showing strong correlation with Body Mass Index (BMI) and other metrics. For males, NC is less effective, requiring combined assessment with BMI, Percentage of Body Fat (PBF), and Visceral Fat Area (VFA).
Area of Science:
- Anthropometry and Obesity Research
- Metabolic Health and Disease
- Diagnostic Tool Validation
Background:
- Obesity is a complex metabolic disorder linked to chronic diseases.
- Current obesity screening indices like BMI have limitations.
- Neck Circumference (NC) is an emerging anthropometric index for obesity assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the correlation between Neck Circumference (NC) and obesity metrics (BMI, PBF, FMI, VFA).
- To assess the diagnostic reliability of NC for obesity in young adults.
- To compare NC's performance with existing obesity indices.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of body composition data from 8,319 Chinese young adults.
- Statistical analysis including Pearson correlation, regression, ROC curve, and Decision Curve Analysis (DCA).
- Gender-stratified analysis to determine optimal NC cut-off values and compare diagnostic performance.
Main Results:
- NC showed significant positive correlations with BMI, FMI, VFA, and PBF (p < 0.01).
- NC demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy in females (AUC=0.982), with optimal cut-off 36.25 cm.
- NC's diagnostic performance was lower in males (AUC=0.918), with optimal cut-off 38.95 cm, showing good consistency with BMI (Kappa=0.644).
Conclusions:
- Neck Circumference (NC) is a simple and effective tool for obesity screening in young females.
- For males, NC requires complementary assessment with BMI, PBF, and VFA for accurate obesity diagnosis.
- NC's clinical utility for obesity screening is confirmed, particularly in specific demographic groups.
