P127 TO INVESTIGATE THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BODY MASS INDEX(BMI) AND NECK CIRCUMFERENCE FOR ASSESSING THE RISK OF DEVELOPING HYPERTENSION

Background: This study investigates the association between body mass index (BMI) in combination with neck circumference and the risk of developing hypertension. Methods: Participants (35,000) were selected from the 2021 May Measurement Month participants, comprising normotensive individuals. We categorized participants into four groups based on BMI and neck circumference. Neck circumference was then analyzed for its association with BMI in both females and males. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to determine the best cut-off values for predicting central obesity, and the area under the curve (AUC) was compared between neck circumference and BMI. Results: Following a median observation period of 2.1years, hypertension was diagnosed in 22,400 (64%) participants. Groups 2, 3, and 4 displayed notably elevated hypertension risks compared to Group 1, exhibiting hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.066 (95% CI: 1.025, 1.110), 1.322 (95% CI: 1.235, 1.415), and 1.422 (95% CI: 1.337, 1.512), respectively. Moreover, integrating BMI into a conventional model yielded a more substantial enhancement in hypertension prediction than neck circumference alone. Concurrently assessing BMI and neck circumference further improved hypertension risk estimation accuracy. Neck circumference demonstrated significant correlations with waist circumference in both females and males, with respective b-coefficients of 1.03 (95% CI: 0.85, 1.21) and 0.74 (95% CI: 0.54, 0.70). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis identified neck circumferences ≥36 cm in females and ≥40 cm in males as optimal thresholds for predicting central obesity. Additionally, the area under the curve (AUC) for neck circumference (0.71; 95% CI: 0.72–0.77) in predicting central obesity surpassed that of BMI (0.77; 95% CI: 0.78–0.82). Conclusion: Individuals with elevated BMI and neck circumference face an increased risk of developing hypertension. While BMI proves to be a predictor of hypertension risk, neck circumference is a superior predictor. Utilizing both measures together enhances hypertension risk prediction accuracy. This underscores the importance of considering both BMI and neck circumference in assessing hypertension risk among individuals.