Neck Circumference and Its Association with Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Pediatric Population

Abstract

Background and objectives: To identify the relationship between neck circumference (NC) and cardiometabolic risk factors in children. Materials and Methods: Children and adolescents 6–18 years old (n = 548) from five counties of San Luis Potosí, México were included. Data was collected for biological markers (glucose and lipid profile) and anthropometric and clinical measurements—weight, height, NC, waist circumference (WC), and blood pressure (BP). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using Quetelet formula (kg/m2). Descriptive analysis, correlation tests, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were performed. Results: NC was highly correlated with BMI and WC in both genders (p <0.0001). The most frequent risk factor was high BMI (38.7%). Sensitivity and specificity analysis of NC and high BMI showed an area under the ROC curve of 0.887. Conclusions: According to our findings, NC is a simple, low-cost, and non-invasive measurement, which has a high association with high BMI and increased WC.

A comparison between body mass index and waist circumference for identifying continuous metabolic syndrome risk score components in school-aged children using a structural equation modeling approach: the CASPIAN-V study

“…These results are in consistent with several population studies which documented the close correlation between central obesity and MetS components (28)(29)(30). The Bogalusa Heart Study showed that the distribution of central fat determined by WC, was associated with abnormal concentrations of TG, LDL-C, HDL-C, and insulin in children and adolescents at the ages of 5-17 yeas (31).…”

Neck and Wrist Circumferences as Indicators of Metabolic Alterations in the Pediatric Population: A Scoping Review

“…Most of the included articles carried out a cross-sectional design, except for one case-control [ 45 ] and one prospective study [ 46 ]. According to the geographical region, seven of the studies were set out in Europe [ 7 , 14 , 24 , 27 , 29 , 32 , 45 ], eight in America [ 25 , 26 , 33 , 35 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ], eight in Asia [ 28 , 30 , 31 , 34 , 38 , 43 , 44 , 46 ], and three in Africa [ 23 , 36 , 37 ]. Based on the anthropometric indicator, 19 articles approached NC, seven articles WrC, and two studied both anthropometric indicators [ 28 , 31 ].…”

“…Based on the anthropometric indicator, 19 articles approached NC, seven articles WrC, and two studied both anthropometric indicators [ 28 , 31 ]. Furthermore, 14 articles recruited subjects at public schools [ 7 , 23 , 26 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 38 , 40 , 42 , 44 , 45 ] and 12 articles at outpatient clinics [ 14 , 24 , 25 , 27 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 39 , 41 , 43 , 46 ]. Most studies included schoolchildren and adolescents with age ranges between 5 and 18 years, except for one study that included 3-year-old preschool children [ 32 ].…”

“…A total of 21 articles studying NC were examined. The most common anatomical site of measurement was “at the level of the thyroid cartilage” ( n = 15) [ 23 , 26 , 28 , 31 , 32 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ], whereas the second approach was “below the thyroid cartilage” ( n = 6) [ 7 , 25 , 29 , 30 , 33 , 37 ]. Furthermore, the most investigated variables to be correlated with NC were as follows: systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and triglycerides (TG).…”

“…Regarding triglycerides (TG), 14 studies reported a positive association with NC ( r = 0.01 to 0.41 and R 2 = 0.02) [ 7 , 25 , 26 , 28 , 29 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 37 , 39 , 40 , 43 ], in which case half of these were statistically significant ( r = 0.6 to 0.41 and p < 0.05) [ 7 , 26 , 29 , 32 , 33 , 39 , 43 ]. Also, negative associations were found in one study ( r = −0.05) [ 36 ], but it was non-significant.…”