ABSTRACT:
Over the past 40 years, the prevalence of obesity has been rapidly increasing in both developed and developing countries. Obesity and overweight pose major health problems, as they are associated with various chronic diseases and malignancies. With the aim of achieving better obesity control, it is essential to have simple, reliable, and quick assessment methods. Recently, there has been an interest in the use of neck circumference (NC), waist circumference (WC), and waist to hip ratio (WHR) as alternative screening methods to identify obesity. We conducted a cross-sectional study on students of Ajman University from different colleges of both genders. A total number of 500 students were selected randomly. Anthropometric data of students, including height (H), weight (W), neck circumference (NC) and waist circumference (WC) were measured and recorded. 500 students was assessed anthropometrically. The overall mean values of all parameters were found to be higher among male students than female students. The mean NC, WC, and BMI value was higher among male (36.93 ± 2.86 cm), (88.00 ± 14.11), (24.38 ± 5.64), respectively, than female (32.14 ± 2.49 cm), (77.32 ± 10.09), and (23.45 ± 4.85), respectively. The mean values for NC, WC, and BMI for each category of both genders are described. Results reveal a positive relationship between neck circumference, waist circumference and overweight/obesity, but further studies involving larger number of population are required to support using such tools in screening for obesity.