BMI for Kids

Axelmorin29 Jul, 2023Health

Your child?s body develops and changes rapidly. This is why a standard adult BMI chart will not work. Instead, to keep track of whether your child is the correct weight for their height, doctors use another chart. They start with a standard BMI calculation based on your child?s height and weight. The BMI value is then used to determine how your child compares to other children of the same age and gender. This is done with the help of percentages and percentiles. The weight categories for children, based on percentiles, are: Underweight ? BMI less than the 5th percentile Normal Weight ? BMI above the 5th percentile but lower than the 85th percentile Overweight ? BMI above the 85th percentile but lower than the 95th percentile Obese ? BMI greater than or equal to the 95th percentile