Introduction: Neck height ratio (NHtR) and NC (neck circumference) have been suggested to measure of upper body adiposity. NHtR has the advantage over NC, as it adjusts for the differences in height. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of NC and NHtR as an independent predictor of MetS (metabolic syndrome)  among Indians

Materials and Methods: Present study is a cross sectional observational study, undertaken at Rajarajeshwari Medical College and Hospital, Bangalore, included 50 individuals, 30-80 years age, without comorbidities who gave informed consent underwent clinical, anthropometric and biochemical assessment, presence of MetS was ascertained using ( NCEP ATP) 3 criteria.

Results: Patients with MetS in both sexes had significantly higher NC, NHtR, glycated HBA1C dyslipidaemia (elevated triglycerides, decreased HDL). The highest tertile of NC had significantly higher BMI, hypertriglyceridemia and MetS . BMI had the largest area under curve (AUC) for predicting MetS in males. NHtR had the highest AUC for predicting MetS in females. A logistic regression analysis, using MetS as the dependent variable, showed that the relationship between NC and MetS after adjusting for sex and age was statistically significant. NC of>32 cm/m and NHtR of >20 cm/m for both the genders were the best values in identifying MetS, it also showed that the relationship between NHtR and MetS was more significant.

Conclusion: NC and NHtR are important predictors of metabolic syndrome and neck height ratio has a higher predictive potential than NC. 

Keywords: neck height ratio, neck circumference, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidaemia, Body mass index

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