Neck Circumference and Its Relation with Body Fat Percentage in Children 5–10 Years Old

Abstract

Background: Neck circumference (NC) has been proposed as an indicator of upper trunk adiposity and a potential indicator of metabolic risk. The objective was to evaluate NC and its correlation with body fat percentage (BF%) and other indicators of adiposity in children with normal weight, overweight, and obesity. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 112 children 5 to 10 years of age were included in the outpatient clinic from a public hospital. Measures of weight and height to calculate BMI (kg/m2), NC, mid-upper arm circumference, waist circumference, and tricipital skinfold thickness. Body composition measurements were performed using an electrical bioimpedance device (BIA). The relationship between anthropometric variables and BF% obtained by BIA was determined using Spearman correlation tests. Multivariate models were constructed with BF% as the dependent variable and anthropometric parameters as independent. Results: In the entire group, there was a direct correlation between NC and BF% (r = 0.50, p 2 value was 0.30 (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Neck circumference is useful in the screening of population groups with the advantage of not requiring any specialized instruments for its measurement other than a tape measure. BMI and waist circumference were the best indicators of general and central adiposity, respectively.

Keywords

• neck circumference
• body fat percentage
• children
• obesity