WEDNESDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- Children with bigger necks are more likely to develop a sleep-related breathing disorder, says a University of Virginia study.

Researchers looked at 215 children, aged 18 months to 18 years, who were referred to a pediatric sleep center. Of these children, 37.3 percent were obese and had an increased frequency of snoring.

The children's neck size, in the sitting and neutral head position, was measured and apena-hypopnea index (AHI) and mean oxygen saturation values were used as indicators of the severity of the sleep-related breathing disorder.