Can neck measure indicate body fat better than BMI?

(CNN) — Flawed, limited and inaccurate. The complaints against the body mass index are many.

Among them: The BMI, which measures weight relative to height, doesn’t accurately calculate body fat. It deems athletes or muscular people to be obese and underestimates body fat in older people.

But it’s inexpensive and simple, so the BMI continues to be the public health agencies’ standard for assessing for obesity.

A study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics suggests another simple, straightforward measurement could be used to supplement the BMI: neck circumference.

A wide neck circumference is associated with obesity-related conditions such as sleep apnea, diabetes and hypertension, according to research. Neck circumference has been explored in studies for potential obesity and heart problems in adults.

Lead author Dr. Olubukola Nafiu and his colleagues examined 1,102 children and recorded their heights, weights and neck circumferences to determine whether this measurement could be another way to assess obesity in children.

They measured necks using a flexible tape at the most prominent part of the neck. For older males, that area was the Adam’s apple.

One of BMI’s shortcomings is that it “does not accurately define central body fatness,” Nafiu said. Neck circumference could give better clues to body fat composition, he said.

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http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/07/06/bmi.neck.fitness/index.html?hpt=C2