Neck circumference: A valuable anthropometric measurement to detect metabolic syndrome among different age groups in China

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between neck circumference and metabolic syndrome in Chinese residents and to explore the cut-off points of neck circumference for metabolic syndrome in different age groups. METHODS: In all, 4227 Chinese adults (18-90 y) were enrolled in the study and divided into 3 subgroups (young, middle-aged, and elderly) according to their ages. The compared data for the subjects included anthropometric indicators and biochemical detection indices. Neck circumference was compared with other simple anthropometric indices using receiver operating characteristic curves. RESULTS: (1) In all, 362 of the subjects who were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome were young (16.8%), 428 were middle-aged (36.9%), and 485 were elderly people (53.1%). (2) The areas under the curve of neck circumference for metabolic syndrome for the 3 subgroups, young, middle-aged, and elderly, for males were 0.853, 0.792, and 0.828, respectively, and these values were 0.859, 0.780, and 0.725 for females, respectively. (3) Neck circumference cut-offs were 39.05, 39.45, and 38.90 cm in men and 34.15, 33.55, and 33.95 cm in women. CONCLUSIONS: Neck circumference contributed to determining metabolic syndrome risk beyond the classical anthropometric indices among different age groups in China.