SUMMARYAim: According to the World Health Organization, central obesity is increasing alarmingly worldwide. Neck circumference is a relatively new method of differentiating between normal and abnormal fat distribution.The aim of this study is to determine the association between neck circumference and central obesity in young Turkish male and female university students.Methods: A community of university students based cross-sectional study was conducted on 319 males and 838 females and investigated the association between neck circumference and other anthropometric variables by gender.Results: In male subjects, the neck circumference revealed a positive correlation with the body mass index (r = 0.684, p < 0.01), waist circumference (r = 0.686, p < 0.01) and waist/hip ratio (r = 0.534, p < 0.01). Similarly, in female subjects neck circumference revealed a positive correlation with the body mass index (r = 0.482, p < 0.01), waist circumference (r = 0.479, p < 0.01) and waist/hip ratio (r = 0.246, p < 0.01).Conclusion: Our study has demonstrated that the positive correlation between neck circumference, which is a simple and fast anthropometric measurement, and visceral obesity, is also applicable to university students.

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Objective:To evaluate the relationship between anthropometric measurements and Nursing Home-Acquired Pneumonia (NHAP) risk.Methods:Consecutive patients of 65 years or elderly who were living in the Balikli Rum Hospital Nursing Homes were included in this prospective study. At the beginning of this study, the patients’ anthropometrics values were measured. The patients were followed for one year, and any incidences of pneumonia attacks were recorded. The relationship between the anthropometric measurements and pneumonia occurrences was analyzed.Results:There were 133 inmates at the initial assessments. Of 108 patients who were eligible for the study, 77 (72.2%) were female and 37 (27.8%) were male. The mean age of the group was 79.8±10.5. Patients were assigned to a group according to the presence of pneumonia during the one -year follow-up. There were 74 (55.6%) patients who had suffered from at least one attack of pneumonia during the follow-up period. The mean triceps skinfold was significantly thinner in the pneumonia group, and the mean handgrip measurements in both the dominant and non-dominant hands were significantly weaker in the pneumonia group. Furthermore, the frequency of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) was significantly higher in this group (p < 0.001).Conclusions:The risk of pneumonia was high in the elderly population who live in nursing homes. Simple anthropometric values may be predictive of the potential for Nursing Home-Acquired Pneumonia.

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Study Design:Obesity prevalence is incresing in Turkish population whose lipoprotein profile is characterised by low levels of HDL cholesterol. Our study aims to determine how obesity changes lipid profiles in Turkish women. Materials and Methods: We evaluated 2501 overweight and obese adult women. After systemic physical examination and some antropometric studies, blood samples have been analysed for lipid parameters.