Sunday 24 November 2013

"The weight of our nation : India" series part 6 (BMI in Children)


PART 6
 of the series in

 "The weight of our nation:

     India"

BMI in Children

Also known as the Quetelet index



Determination of BMI 


BMI is not always the best way for determination of ideal weight in the case of body builders, children and elders.

 BMI percentile

“After BMI is calculated for children and teens, the BMI number is plotted on the CDC BMI-for-age growth charts (for either girls or boys) to obtain a percentile ranking. Percentiles are the most commonly used indicator to assess the size and growth patterns of individual children” 
BMI for age weight status categories and the corresponding percentiles are shown in the following table.

Weight Status Category
Percentile Range
Underweight
Less than the 5th percentile
Healthy weight
5th percentile to less than the 85th percentile
Overweight
85th to less than the 95th percentile
Obese
Equal to or greater than the 95th percentile

“A child may have a high BMI for age and sex, but to determine if excess fat is a problem, a health care provider would need to perform further assessments. These assessments might include skin fold thickness measurements, evaluations of diet, physical activity, family history, and other appropriate health screenings.” 


The Childs BMI calculator provides BMI and the corresponding BMI-for-age percentile on a CDC BMI-for-age growth chart. Use this calculator for children and teens, aged 2 through 19 years old.
BMI number is calculated the same way for children and adults, the criteria used to interpret the meaning of the BMI number for children and teens are different from those used for adults. For children and teens, BMI age- and sex-specific percentiles are used for two reasons:
·         The amount of body fat changes with age.
·         The amount of body fat differs between girls and boys.


See the following graphic for an example for a 10-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy who both have a BMI-for-age of 23. (Note that two children of different ages are plotted on the same growth chart to illustrate a point. Normally the measurement for only one child is plotted on a growth chart.

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