Appropriate Neck Circumference and Waist-to-height Ratio Cut-off Points As Predictors of Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents

Overview

Journal Rev Saude Publica

Specialty Public Health

Date 2023 Apr 19

PMID 37075407

Authors

Wyllyane Rayana Chaves Carvalho

Ana Karina Teixeira da Cunha Franca

Alcione Miranda Dos Santos

Luana Lopes Padilha

Eduarda Gomes Bogea

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: To determine neck circumference (NC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) cut-off points as predictors of obesity and cardiovascular risk in adolescents.

Methods: Cross-sectional study developed with a subsample of 634 adolescents aged 18 and 19 years belonging to the third phase of the "RPS" cohort (Ribeirão Preto, Pelotas and São Luís) carried out in 2016. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was identified to assess the predictive capacity of NC and WHtR in relation to the percentage of body fat (%BF), obtained by air displacement plethysmography (ADP), and the cardiovascular risk estimated by the Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis in Youth (PDAY).

Results: The prevalence of obesity by %BF was 7.6% in males and 39.4% in females (p-value <0.001), and the high PDAY risk was 13.8% and 10.9%, respectively. For males, NC cut-off point was 44.0 cm and the AUCs were 0.70 (95%CI 0.58-0.83) to predict obesity and 0.71 (95%CI 0.62-0.80) to predict high cardiovascular risk; for females, NC cut-off point was 40 cm and the AUCs were 0.75 (95%CI 0.69-0.80) and 0.63 (95%CI 0.53-0.73), respectively. WHtR cut-off point was 0.50 for both sexes; for males, the AUCs to predict obesity and high risk according to PDAY were 0.90 (95%CI 0.80-0.99) and 0.73 (95%CI 0.63-0.82), respectively; for females, they were 0.87 (95%CI 0.83-0.90) and 0.55 (95%CI 0.45-0.65), respectively.

Conclusion: WHtR and NC are good discriminators to assess obesity and cardiovascular risk in adolescents, especially in males.

Citing Articles

Community childhood obesity assessment in elementary school, anthropometric indices as screening tools: a community cross-sectional study in Indonesia.

Liberty I, Septadina I, Rizqie M, Mariana M, Pariyana P, Amalia R BMJ Public Health. 2025; 2(1):e000751.

PMID: 40018246 PMC: 11812859. DOI: 10.1136/bmjph-2023-000751.

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