|
BMI for Children and Teens
(Also referred to as BMI-for-age)
BMI is Used Differently with Children Than it is With
Adults
In children and teens, body mass index is used to assess underweight,
overweight, and risk for overweight. Children's body fatness changes over
the years as they grow. Also, girls and boys differ in their body fatness
as they mature. This is why BMI for children, also referred to as
BMI-for-age, is gender and age specific. BMI-for-age is plotted on specific growth charts for boys and
girls. These charts
are used for children and teens 2 – 20 years of age. For the 2000
Center for Disease Control (CDC) Growth
Charts and Additional Information visit CDC's
National Center for Health Statistics.
Each of the CDC BMI-for-age charts contains a series of
curved lines indicating specific percentiles. Healthcare professionals use
the following established percentile cutoff points to identify underweight
and overweight in children.
|
Weight Status |
Percentile |
| Underweight |
BMI-for-age < 5th
percentile |
| At risk of overweight |
BMI-for-age 85th percentile
to < 95th percentile |
| Overweight |
BMI-for-age > 95th percentile |
| BMI decreases during the preschool years, then increases into adulthood.
The percentile curves in the graph below show this pattern of growth. |
|
Example
Let's look at the BMI for a boy as he grows. While his BMI changes, he
remains at the 95th percentile BMI-for-age.
|
Age |
BMI |
Percentile |
|
2 years |
19.3 |
95th |
|
4 years |
17.8 |
95th |
|
9 years |
21.0 |
95th |
|
13 years |
25.1 |
95th |
We see how the boy's BMI declines during his preschool years and
increases as he gets older.
Why is BMI-for-age a useful tool?
BMI-for-Age is used for children and teens because of their rate of
growth and development. It is a useful tool because
- BMI-for-age provides a reference for adolescents that can be used
beyond puberty.
- BMI-for-age in children and adolescents compares well to laboratory
measures of body fat.
- BMI-for-age can be used to track body size throughout life.
For the 2000 CDC Growth Charts and Additional Information visit CDC'S National
Center for Health Statistics.
|
n
