Introduction:

Evaluation of the patient with obesity is a challenge due to the technical difficulties to carry out measurements.

Objective:

To assess the association between neck circumference (NC) and waist circumference (WC) with cardio-metabolic risk markers, as well as treatment success in patients with morbid obesity.

Method:

Four-hundred and seventy patients of 39.3 ± 11.4 years of age and with a body mass index (BMI) of 44.1 ± 8.4 were studied; 73.5% were females. Baseline and final BMI, WC, NC, hip circumference and cardio-metabolic markers were assessed. Success was defined as weight loss ≥ 5%.

Results:

Significant correlations were found between WC and NC, and between these and cardio-metabolic risk markers, as well as between changes in WC and NC and treatment success. NC predicted success in logistic regression models.

Conclusions:

The association of WC and NC with cardio-metabolic risk indicators and the association of NC with treatment success in patients with morbid obesity was documented. Given the simplicity for obtaining it, NC might replace WC in the assessment and follow-up of patients with class III obesity.