The Relationship Between Body Mass Index, Waist Circumference, Neck Circumference and Cardiovascular Risk Factors

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Abstract
Background: This study aimed to estimate the correlation between body mass index, waist circumference and neck circumference and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy adult men and women with no history of any disease or chronic drug intake from Diyarbakır and Dicle University medical faculties. Materials and methods: The study included 199 subjects, 113 males (mean age 36.5 ± 11.3 years) and 86 females (mean age 33.8 ± 11.7 years) aged between 20 and 73 years. Age, height, weight, blood pressure, pulse rate, anthropometric methods; waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), neck circumference (NC), blood glucose and insulin levels were determined. Insulin resistance was evaluated with the Homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) formula. Total-cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol levels were measured. Pearson correlation and independent t-test were applied to the obtained study parameters. Results: 47.7% of women were obese, 1.2% were morbidly obese and 59.3% of men were obese. Waist circumference correlated with systolic blood pressure (r=0.426, p<0.001), diastolic blood pressure (r=0.414, p<0.001), total cholesterol (r=0.450, p<0.001), triglycerides (r=0.556, p<0.001) and LDL-cholesterol (i=0.486, p<0.001), and a negative correlation was found between waist circumference and HDL-cholesterol (r=0.261, p<0.001). In women, the relationship between BMI and HOMA-IR (r-0.415, p<0.001) was stronger than the relationship between waist circumference and HOMA-IR (r=0.333, p=0.02). In men, we found a positive correlation between waist circumference and HOMA-IR (r=0.271, p=0.04). In men, we found no correlation between BMI and HOMA-IR. Neck circumference was correlated with waist circumference (i=0.732), total cholesterol (r=0.534), triglycerides (r=0.365), LDL cholesterol (i=0.406), BMI (r=0.568), systolic blood pressure (r=0.200), diastolic blood pressure (r=0. 290), and glucose (r=0.280) (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Waist circumference was more tightly correlated with metabolic parameters. Waist circumference may better reflect the risk of cardiovascular disease than BMI. Neck circumference measurement, a new obesity indicator, can also be used as an obesity assessment method. Keywords: Cardiovascular risk factors, body mass index, waist circumference, neck circumference

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