Emerging evidence suggested that large neck circumference (NC) in children and adolescents may be an indicator of increased blood pressure. We sought to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis regarding the association between NC and blood pressure in children. Pertinent studies were identified by searching PubMed and Scopus databases, up to January 2018. Studies which reported the correlation coefficient between NC, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure in children (aged <18 years) were selected. Fifteen studies met eligibility criteria for the quantitative synthesis. Overall, NC was significantly correlated with systolic blood pressure (effect size (z) = 0.39; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.29–0.49; P < .001; meta r = 0.371; r² = 0.13) and diastolic blood pressure (effect size (z) = 0.25; 95% CI = 0.19–0.32; P < .001; meta r = 0.0.245; r² = 0.06). NC had a positive relationship with the risk of hypertension (odds ratio [OR] = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.05–1.75). Furthermore, studies conducted in Western regions (OR = 1.55; 95% CI: 1.12–2.14) reported higher risk of hypertension in association with NC than those conducted in the Eastern regions (OR = 1.14; 95% CI: 1.03–1.25).NC seems to be a novel anthropometric measurement in children and adolescents. It can be a good predictor of elevated blood pressure, especially in the Western population.

新兴证据表明，儿童和青少年的大颈围（NC）可能是血压升高的指标。我们试图对儿童NC和血压之间的关系进行系统的回顾和荟萃分析。通过搜索PubMed和Scopus数据库直至2018年1月，确定了相关研究。选择了报告儿童（<18岁）NC，收缩压和舒张压之间相关系数的研究。十五项研究符合定量合成的资格标准。总体而言，NC与收缩压显着相关（影响大小（z）= 0.39； 95％置信区间[CI] = 0.29-0.49；P  <.001； meta r  = 0.371；r ² = 0.13）和舒张压（效果大小（z）= 0.25； 95％CI = 0.19-0.32；P  <.001； meta r  = 0.0.245；r ²  = 0.06）。NC与高血压风险呈正相关（比值比[OR] = 1.35； 95％CI：1.05-1.75）。此外，在西部地区进行的研究（OR = 1.55； 95％CI：1.12-2.14）报告说，与NC相关的高血压风险高于东部地区（OR = 1.14； 95％CI：1.03-1.25）。 NC似乎是儿童和青少年的一种新颖的人体测量方法。它可以很好地预测血压升高，尤其是在西方人群中。