When interpreting BMI in children, looking at a child’s growth trend may be more beneficial than simply looking at the percentile range that their BMI falls within.īy traditional interpretations, a child with a BMI at the 95%ile would be considered obese.

Similarly as with adults, using BMI as a marker for health has limitations. In older kids and adolescents this may have a bigger influence on weight and body fat and should be taken into account.īy using BMI charts in children and monitoring weight as children age, you can promptly identify disruptions in growth which can help avoid chronic health issues associated with obesity. However, since it only uses these metrics, it also has drawbacks.įor example, it does not take lean body mass, physical activity, genetics, or other health conditions into consideration. The nice thing about the BMI formula is that it is quick and easy to calculate. Ĭalculating and tracking BMI in children can be a useful way to diagnose health issues early on to minimize these risks.Ī study from the Journal of Pediatrics found that pediatricians that followed children with BMI charting recognized weight issues at a higher rate compared to only utilizing height and weight charting alone. In addition, a study from the New England Journal of Medicine also found that children with obesity and its related health issues had higher rates of premature death. Similar to adults, severe obesity in children is associated with an increased prevalence of heart disease and metabolic risk factors. In addition, all categories of obesity in children showed an increase over the previous 14 years. Additionally, 5.9% of children met criteria for class 2 obesity, and 2.1% met criteria for class 3 obesity. BMI Categories for Children Ages 2-19 Body mass index weight categories for children ages 2-19 defined by the CDC Weight CategoryĪ study from JAMA pediatrics found that from 2011 to 2012, 17.3% of children in the United States aged 2 to 19 years were obese.

These values were based on data collected from surveys of children from the U.S. These BMI charts are available on the CDC website (boys and girls ).īody mass index for-age growth charts from the CDC take into account these differences and show BMI as a percentile ranking rather than falling into underweight, normal weight, or obese categories that are used in adults. However, a 15-year-old girl with a BMI of 22 would fall between the 50th and 75th percentile and would be considered to be a healthy weight. This is because body fat and weight standards change with age and sex due to different body structure and hormone fluctuations.Īs an example, an 8-year-old girl with a BMI of 22 would fall into the greater than 95th percentile and would be considered obese.

In kids and teenagers, BMI is age and sex-specific. However, the value is interpreted differently in children. The formula for BMI is the same for adults and children. The formula for BMI is:īMI = weight / height² Imperial Units To calculate BMI, you only need to know your child’s current height and weight. It is a simple formula that uses height and weight to provide you with an idea of where your child falls within certain weight categories. BMI, or body mass index, is a helpful tool for determining weight and health status for both adults and children.

Children's bmi calculator