How to cite this article: Sriramappa MH, Lokanath H, Gunaseelan JKM, Chittem SD, Chirakkara APM, Reddy TL. Neck Cir- cumference: A Novel Anthropometric Tool for Screening Obesity Among Young Adults. Natl J Community Med 2024;15(10):806-811. DOI: 10.55489/njcm.151020244412 Copy Right: The Authors retain the copyrights of this article, with first publication rights granted to Medsci Publications. This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, adapt, and build upon the work commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given, and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms. www.njcmindia.com│pISSN: 0976-3325│eISSN: 2229-6816│Published by Medsci Publications @2024 National Journal of Community Medicine│Volume 15│Issue 10│October 2024 Page 806 ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE Neck Circumference: A Novel Anthropometric Tool for Screening Obesity Among Young Adults Mouna Hogalagere Sriramappa 1 , Hamsa Lokanath 2 , Jai Krishna Madarakkal Gunaseelan 3 , Chittem Sravana Deepthi 4 , Anu Priya Mathew Chirakkara 5* , Tapasi Lahari Reddy 6 1,4,6 Apollo Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India 2,3,5 Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India DOI: 10.55489/njcm.151020244412 A B S T R A C T Background: Obesity is a global health concern characterized by excessive fat accumulation, posing signifi- cant health risks that affect all age groups. Particularly among young adults, including medical students, obesi- ty can lead to physical and psychosocial consequences, emphasizing the need for effective screening. The study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of using neck circumference as a screening tool for detecting obe- sity among young adults by assessing its correlation with other anthropometric measurements and determin- ing the appropriate cut-off points Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 146 medical students at the Apollo Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh. Data were collected using a semi-structured ques- tionnaire and various anthropometric measurements, including neck circumference. Results: Neck circumference was higher among males, with a mean of 34.4±2.1cm for males and 30.2±1.9cm for females. Neck circumference showed significant positive correlations with height, weight, Body Mass In- dex, waist-hip ratio, hip and waist circumference. Neck circumference is proposed as a screening tool for as- sessing obesity among young adults, with cut-off values of 34cm for males and 30cm for females. Conclusions: Neck circumference is an effective screening tool for obesity among young adults, correlating with conventional anthropometric measures. Keywords: Anthropometry, Body Mass Index, Medical students, Neck circumference A R T I C L E I N F O Financial Support: None declared Conflict of Interest: None declared Received: 29-06-2024, Accepted: 02-09-2024, Published: 01-10-2024 *Correspondence: Dr. Anu Priya Mathew Chirakkara (Email: anupriyacmathew1994@gmail.com)