Neck Circumference as A Sampling Tool to Identify Overweight and Obesity

Objectives: To assess the practicality of neck circumference in categorizing individuals into obese and non-obese categories and identifying its appropriate cutoff points in young adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed from 2018 January to 2018 April and comprised of students between 18 to 35 years of age. Anthropometric measurements of study participants were recorded such as; weight, height, waist circumference (WC), neck circumference (NC), and BMI by following standard protocols using tape measure and calculator. Obesity and overweight levels were also categorized according to WHO values. Results: The mean BMI was lower in females in contrast to males. Mean WC and NC was also higher in males as compared to females. In both gender, neck circumference had a significant association with relevant indicators. Cut-off points for obesity in males and females were 39.38cm and 33.28cm respectively. Conclusion: This study indicates that neck circumference strongly correlates with other signs/symptoms of obesity in both women and men and is therefore a valid tool for identification of obese individuals. It is a simple and inexpensive tool which can be used at any work place. Keywords: Neck circumference, Body mass index, Overweight, Obesity.