- With Mayo Clinic emeritus consultant
Jay L. Hoecker, M.D.
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Jay L. Hoecker, M.D.
Jay Hoecker, M.D.
Dr. Jay Hoecker, an emeritus member of the Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, brings valuable expertise to health information content on primary care pediatrics. He has a particular interest in infectious diseases of children.
He's a Fort Worth, Texas, native, certified as a pediatrician by the American Board of Pediatrics and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He was trained at Washington University's St. Louis Children's Hospital, and in infectious diseases at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He has been with Mayo Clinic since 1989.
"The World Wide Web is revolutionizing the availability and distribution of information, including health information about children and families," Dr. Hoecker says. "The evolution of the Web has included greater safety, privacy and accuracy over time, making the quality and access to children's health information immediate, practical and useful. I am happy to be a part of this service to patients from a trusted name in medicine, to use and foster all the good the Web has to offer children and their families."
Children's health (6)
- Fruit juice: Good or bad for kids?
- Child growth: Can you predict adult height?
- Neck size: Better than BMI for kids?
- see all in Children's health
Preschoolers (1)
- Multivitamins: Do young children need them?
Elementary students (6)
- Baby teeth: When do children start losing them?
- Trampoline jumping: Safe for kids?
- Depression treatment for children: What works?
- see all in Elementary students
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Question
Neck size: Better than BMI for kids?
Is a child's neck size a better way to gauge childhood obesity than body mass index (BMI)?
Answer
from Jay L. Hoecker, M.D.
Measuring a child's neck size is a relatively new method of screening for childhood obesity that's accurate and easier to obtain than BMI. Although the technique isn't routinely used yet and further research is needed, early studies suggest that neck size is another tool that can be used to identify overweight and obesity in boys and girls ages 6 to 18.
BMI is calculated by taking a child's weight in kilograms and dividing it by a child's height in meters squared. The doctor calculates your child's body mass index (BMI) and determines where it falls on a standard BMI-for-age growth chart. BMI helps indicate if your child is overweight for his or her age and height. BMI, however, doesn't consider factors such as being muscular or having a larger than average body frame and the variation in growth patterns among children. As a result, the doctor must also consider your child's growth and development to determine whether your child's weight is a health concern.
Unlike BMI, measuring a child's neck size to identify obesity is straightforward — the doctor simply places measuring tape around the most prominent part of your child's neck and compares the measurement to values that indicate overweight and obesity for your child's age. Neck size also is a better gauge of upper body fat than is BMI. That's important because upper body fat can help predict certain obesity-related complications, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and obstructive sleep apnea.
If you're interested in having your child's neck size measured or you're concerned about your child's weight, consult your child's doctor.
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- Yang L, et al. Visceral adiposity is closely correlated with neck circumference and represents a significant indicator of insulin resistance in WHO grade III obesity. Clinical Endocrinology. 2010;73:197.
- Hatipoglu N, et al. Neck circumference: An additional tool of screening overweight and obesity in childhood. European Journal of Pediatrics. 2010;169:733.
- LaBerge RC, et al. Inter- and intra-rater reliability of neck circumference measurements in children. Pediatric Pulmonology. 2009;44:64.
- Nafiu OO, et al. Neck circumference as a screening measure for identifying children with high body mass index. Pediatrics. 2010:126;e306.
- About BMI for children and teens. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/childrens_BMI/about_childrens_BMI.html. Accessed Aug. 5, 2010.
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