Neck Circumference Positively Relates to Cardiovascular Risk Factors in College Students

Oluremi A. Famodu, Makenzie L. Barr, Sarah E. Colby, Wenjun Zhou, Ida Holásková, Miriam P. Leary, Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Anne E. Mathews and Melissa D. Olfert
Additional contact information
Oluremi A. Famodu: Division of Animal and Nutritional Sciences, West Virginia University, 1194 Evansdale Dr., Agricultural Sciences Building, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Makenzie L. Barr: Division of Animal and Nutritional Sciences, West Virginia University, 1194 Evansdale Dr., Agricultural Sciences Building, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Sarah E. Colby: Department of Nutrition, The University of Tennessee, 1215 W. Cumberland Avenue, 229 Jessie Harris Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-1920, USA
Wenjun Zhou: Department of Business Analytics and Statistics, The University of Tennessee, 916 Volunteer Blvd., Knoxville, TN 37996-1920, USA
Ida Holásková: Office of Statistics, West Virginia University, Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, West Virginia Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station, 1194 Evansdale Dr., Agricultural Sciences Building, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Miriam P. Leary: Division of Animal and Nutritional Sciences, West Virginia University, 1194 Evansdale Dr., Agricultural Sciences Building, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Carol Byrd-Bredbenner: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Rutgers University, 26 Nichol Ave., New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Anne E. Mathews: Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, University of Florida, 572 Newell Dr., 359 FSHN Building, P.O. Box 110370, Gainesville, FL 32611-0370, USA
Melissa D. Olfert: Division of Animal and Nutritional Sciences, West Virginia University, 1194 Evansdale Dr., Agricultural Sciences Building, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 7, 1-8

Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between neck circumference (NC) and other anthropometric measures and examine cut-off points for males and females according to existing waist circumference cut-off levels in this age group. Across 8 universities, 1562 students underwent a physical assessment. Spearman rho correlations (ρ) were calculated to determine associations between NC and other continuous variables of health. Receiving operating characteristic curves were constructed to assess the optimal cut-off levels of NC of males and females with central obesity. Participants were predominantly Caucasian (67%), female (70%), and outside of Appalachia (82%). Forty-one percent of males and 34% of females had a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m 2 . In both sexes, significant positive correlations were seen between NC and body weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, and systolic blood pressure (all p -values < 0.0001). NC ≥ 38 cm for males and ≥33.5 cm for females were the optimal cut-off values to determine subjects with central obesity. NC has been identified to closely correlate with other anthropometric measurements related to disease and could be used as a convenient, low-cost, and noninvasive measurement in large-scale studies.

Keywords: neck circumference; young adult; risk factor; obesity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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