الفهرس 
INTRODUCTION AND AIM OF THE WORKOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 95 |  |  |
| | | from | 95 | | |
Abstract
Obesity is an international public health problem and a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia and hypertension. It is considered to be one of the most neglected public health problems that directly contributes to major health issues among adults in both developed and developing countries. In Egypt the prevalence of obesity is extremely high, especially among women, and that the prevalence’s of diabetes and hypertension increases automatically with that of obesity.
Neak circumference is a relatively new method that is being used as a marker of upper body SC adipose tissue. Since it is regarded as a simple and time-saving measurement and is not influenced by abdominal distension or by respiratory movements, it can be used as an index for central obesity and a potential predictor for cardio-metabolic syndrome.
This study was conducted on 150 subjects from High Institute of Public Health and Medical Research Institute. Data was collected using a pre-structured questionnaire to collect personal data that include age, sex, marital status, education and occupation as well as medical history. Anthropometric assessment was carried out for each subject to measure the height and weight, NC, WC, hip circumference. BMI and WHR were calculated. Blood pressure was measured too. Biochemical tests were done to measure TC, TG, LDL, HDL, HOMA-IR, FPG and serum insulin. Presence or absence of metabolic syndrome was evaluated based on NCEP ATP III criteria.
The results of the present study showed that NC is positively correlated with other anthropometric measures and may be a good predictor of cardio-metabolic risk factors. As regards WC, it was positively correlated with all measures of metabolic risk factors except total cholesterol. NC was also associated significantly with the likelihood of MetS. However, in comparison with WC, NC was inferior in terms of association with MetS.
Conclusion & Recommendations:
In conclusion, according to the findings of this study, the following can be summarised:
1- Neck circumference is a simple, low-cost, and non-invasive measurement, which has a positive relationship with high BMI and high WC. Identification of individuals with cardio-metabolic risk factors in early stages is essential to prevent future complications in their health and development.
2- Neck circumference had a stronger positive correlation with FPG than WC and so it is a more powerful indicator of diabetes as well as IFG. However, WC had a stronger positive correlation with HOMA-IR and so is a more powerful predictor of IR.
3- Neck circumference, as a measure of upper-body fat obesity, is a more powerful indicator of dyslipidaemia than waist circumference regarding cardio-metabolic risk factors, since it was the most significant predictor of increased serum triglycerides as well as decreased serum HDL cholesterol levels, compared with waist circumference in both men and women. NC was also positively correlated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Neck circumference is associated significantly with MetS and hence isindicative of central obesity. Neck circumference is also a far more powerful indicator for MetS than WC.
from the results of this study the following can be recommended:
• More studies must be done to establish NC cut-off points by age and gender, standardized for Egyptian adults, to identify at-risk individuals.
• Normalize NC as one of the standard anthropometric measurements
• Neck circumference can be used as a screening method to identify cardio-metabolic risk factors and other obesity-related chronic diseases.
• Neck circumference can be used as an alternative to WC, especially in health conditions that affect the abdominal wall, organs and cavity (lipoabdominoplasty and pendulous abdomen in obese subjects or following huge weight loss, hernia and ascites).
• Neck circumference can be used as a predictor for IR, high blood pressure as well