einstein (São Paulo). 23/May/2023;21:eAO0186.

Association of moderate and vigorous physical activity and relative muscle strength with neck circumference: a cross-sectional analysis of the Study of Health in Pomerode (SHIP-Brazil)

Clóvis Arlindo de

Sousa

, Marcello Ricardo Paulista

Markus

, Karina

Passero

, Laís Carolini

Theis

, Alan de Jesus Pires de

Moraes

, Quelen Schutz Carvalho Bernardes

Malafaia

, Ernani Tiaraju de Santa

Helena

DOI: 10.31744/einstein_journal/2023AO0186

Highlights

Neck circumference can be used in clinical evaluation for health monitoring.

The prevalence of increased neck circumference is high and is associated with relative muscular strength in men and level of moderate and vigorous physical activity and relative muscular strength in women.

Neck circumference is an important predictor of low moderate and vigorous physical activity and relative muscular strength in men, and the results are more pronounced in adult and older adult women.

We suggest implementing exercise programs to increase muscle strength to prevent and treat increased neck circumference and its associated risks.

ABSTRACT

Objective

Neck circumference is a simple anthropometric measurement that may be linked to chronic diseases, physical activity, and muscle strength. We sought to verify the association of moderate and vigorous physical activity levels and relative muscle strength with neck circumference in a community in southern Brazil.

Methods

We cross-sectionally analyzed data from 2,488 participants (51% women), aged 20-79 years old from the Study of Health in Pomerode (SHIP-Brazil) conducted in Pomerode, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Increased neck circumference was defined with cutoff points of >39cm for men and >35cm for women. The independent variables were the level of moderate and vigorous physical activity using the short International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and relative muscle strength using the handgrip test and body mass. Univariate and multiple Poisson regression models were used to determine the association between variables (p≤0.05).

Results

The prevalence of increased neck circumference was 48.2% (60.4% in men, 39.6% in women) and was associated with low relative muscle strength (PR=1.26, 95%CI: 1.17-1.35) in men, insufficient moderate and vigorous physical activity levels (PR=1.23, 95%CI: 1.14-1.32), and relative muscle strength (PR=1.73, 95%CI: 1.61-1.87) in women. After adjusting for covariates, no significant associations were observed between insufficient moderate and vigorous physical activity levels in men (PR=1.02, 95%CI: 0.95-1.07).

Conclusion

Increased neck circumference seems to be an important predictor of low moderate and vigorous physical activity and relative strength loss in adults, and more pronounced in women.