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What is BMI? Body Mass Index (BMI) -- A mathematical formula to assess relative body weight. The measure correlates highly with body fat. Calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters (kg/m2). 4 A measure of body weight relative to height. BMI can be used to determine if people are at a healthy weight, overweight, or obese. To figure out BMI, use the following formula:5   Calculate my BMI! BMI for Children and Teens is sometimes 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 gender specific growth charts. These charts are used for children and teens 2 – 20 years of age. For the 2000 CDC Growth Charts and Additional Information visit CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. Each of the CDC BMI-for-age gender specific 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. Underweight.............BMI-for-age < 5th percentile Normal.....................BMI-for-age 5th percentile to < 85th 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 show this pattern of growth. What does it mean if my child is in the 60th percentile? The 60th percentile means that compared to children of the same gender and age, 60% have a lower BMI.  |
 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.  BMI-for-Age is used for children and teens because of their rate of growth and development. It is a useful tool because
For the 2000 CDC Growth Charts and Additional Information visit Department of Health and Human Services: Centers for Disease Control(CDC) Boys  Girls  |