Body Mass Index or BMI

Body Mass Index, or BMI (wt/ht²), provides a guideline based on weight and height to determine underweight and overweight. As children grow, their body mass changes. The interpretation of BMI depends on the child’s age. Additionally, girls and boys differ in their body mass as they mature. Therefore, we plot the BMI-for-age according to sex-specific charts.

How to Interpret BMI for Age in Children and Adolescents
Established cut off points should be used to identify underweight and overweight children and adolescents.

The extremes in BMI-for-age that raise concern in children 2 to 20 years of age

Underweight BMI-for-age <5th percentile
At risk of overweight BMI-for-age >85th percentile
Overweight BMI-for-age >95th percentile

What are the advantages of using BMI-for-age with children from 2 to 20 years?

BMI-for-age can be used for adolescents beyond puberty.
BMI in children and adolescents compares well to laboratory measures of body fat.
BMI is related to health risks.

Sixty percent of children and teens with a BMI-for-age above the 95th percentile have at least one risk factor while 20 percent have two or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Overweight children are likely to become overweight adults. The standards used to identify obesity and overweight in children and adolescents agree with standards used to identify overweight and obesity in adults.

Children who have sustained any type of head injury, minor or major, were two times more likely to sustain a similar injury within 12 months. Whatever the reason, if your child has had a concussion or similar head injury, take efforts to monitor them more closely over the ensuing year.

My irritation "button" is most easily pushed when my child:

A. ignores me when I’m telling him/her what to do.
B. whines and complains.
C. fights with a sibling.
D. talks back or acts rude.
E. some other behavior not listed.