Backgrounds: The aim of the present study was to test the association of neck circumfernce with the cardiovascular risk factors.
Methods: We examined 292 persons, who visited a health examination center. The correlation between neck circumference and other cardiovascular risk factors was tested, and the odds ratio was calculated for various cardiovascular risk factors in the highest quartile of neck circumference compared to lowest. We used stepwise multiple regression to find out whether the neck circumference could be the independent variable to other obesity indices for cardiovascular risk factors.
Results: Neck circumference was significantly correlated with the cardiovascular risk factors except diastolic blood pressure, uric acid in men and systolic blood pressure, total and LDL cholesterol in women. This odds ratio for HOMA score in the highest quartile of neck circumference compared to lowest was 29.2 in men, 5.1 in women, and for hsCRP the odds ratios was 2.0 in men, 6.6 in women. In stepwise multiple regression, neck circumference accounted for diastolic blood pressure, total and LDL cholesterol, triglyceride, insulin, HOMA score in men, glucose, HDL cholesterol insulin, HOMA score in women independently to other obesity indices.
Conclusion: Neck circumference is associated with the cardiovascular risk factors related to insulin resistance and hsCRP. The measurement of neck circumference could be useful in clinical screening for obese person at an enhanced risk for cardiovascular diseases.

Keywords: Neck circumference, Obesity indices, Cardiovascular risk factors