Neck Circumference as an Independent Cardiometabolic Risk Factor: A Cross-sectional Study in Kinshasa

Objective: To investigate the association between neck circumference (NC) and traditional cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRF) among adult’s population at Kinshasa. Methods: A total of 400 participants were recruited. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was employed to test the correlations between NC and CMRF. The association of NC with CMRF (dependent variables) was assessed by logistic regression. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis had allowed determining the cut-off points of NC to detect the presence of CMRF. Results: The average of age and WC was 55.4±12.0 years and 79.8±12.0 cm, respectively. The median value of BMI was significantly higher in women (24.6 kg/m2) than in men (22.6 kg/m2); whereas the median value of NC was significantly higher in men (37.8 cm) than in women (33.3 cm) (p < 0.001). In both men and women, NC was positively correlated with TC, LDL, TG and WC. Additionally, FPG and HDL were positively correlated with NC significantly. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between NECK and FPG but a significant negative correlation between NECK and HDLc among women. TG in men, raised TC, LDL and WC were found to be significantly associated with neck circumference with ORs 1.25 (95% CI: 1.08, 1.44), 0.67 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.85), 1.13 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.26), 1.27 (95% CI: 1.12, 1.45) in men versus 1.18 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.36) in women, 1.19 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.34) in men versus 1.21 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.38) in women and 1.18 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.36) in men versus 1.43 (95% CI: 1.23, 1.66) in women, respectively. Cut-off points for NC to identify CMRF were between 37.5 and 38 cm in men, 32.5 and 33 cm in women. Conclusion: NC is associated with CMRF, and could be a useful and accurate tool to identify high risk participants.