Quick Answers
Is BMI for children and teens the same as the BMI for adults?
No, BMI for children and teens is determined by using
gender specific BMI-for-age growth charts. 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
- At risk of overweight BMI-for-age 85th percentile to < 95th percentile
- Overweight BMI-for-age > 95th percentile
What does it mean if my child is in the 75th percentile?
The 75th percentile means that compared to children of
the same gender and age, 75% have a lower BMI.
Resource: CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhanes/growthcharts/set1/chart15.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhanes/growthcharts/set1/chart16.pdf
Candance Gabel, M.S. R.D., Assistant Program Director, College of Human Environmental Sciences, University of Missouri Extension
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Last update: Tuesday, December 09, 2008
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