Neck Circumference: A Screening Tool for Predicting Metabolic Syndrome in Obese Children

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.

The objective of this study was to find the association of higher NC with metabolic syndrome (MetS), insulin resistance (IR), and other metabolic complications.

Tertiary care teaching hospital, cross-sectional study.

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.

Independent t-test and Chi-square analysis were applied for continuous and categorical variables, respectively, to find the association.

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).

High NC reflects high BMI and can predict MetS in overweight and obese children.