Neck circumference as a complementary measure for identifying excess body weight in children aged from 2 to 9 years
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/Keywords:
Overweight, Neck, Child, Body Mass Index, AnthropometryAbstract
Neck circumference (NC) indicates nutritional
status and indirectly measures upper body subcutaneous
fat, an independent predictor of cardiometabolic diseases.
This study aims to analyze the accuracy of NC as a measure
to assess excess body weight in children aged from two
to nine years according to sex. Sampling included 435
children from the Predictors of Maternal and Infant Excess
Body Weight Study, a birth cohort study carried out in
Brazil in participants’ homes. Data were collected from
January 2012 to October 2021. Participants were subjected
to anthropometric assessments. Their demographic and
socioeconomic data were obtained. A positive correlation
(p<0.05) occurred between NC and weight, height, and
body mass index in boys and girls in follow-ups. Except for
the one-two-year age group (AUC=0.73; 95%CI 0.65–0.81
for boys and girls), the accuracy of NC in indicating excess
body weight in boys and girls equaled 0.80 or higher (AUC:
0.80–0.95; 95%CI: 0.71–1.00). Our findings showed that
NC can screen Brazilian children aged two-nine years for
excess body weight. However, further studies involving
larger sample sizes and other populations are necessary
to complement the data in this study.
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