DEFINITIONS OF OVERWEIGHT, OBESITY AND BMI
Adolescent - ages 12 through 19 years.
Childhood - ages 6 years old through 11 years old.
Overweight - Excessive weight for height and weight.
Obesity - An excessive high amount of body fat in relation to lean body mass.
Body Mass Index or BMI is a tool for indicating weight status in adults and is an assessment of underweight, overweight and risk for overweight in children and teens. BMI is a measure of height and weight and its correlation with body fat.
In children and teens, body mass index differs in girls and boys and as their body fatness matures. This is why BMI for children is also referred to as BMI-for-age as it is gender and age specific. BMI-for-age is plotted on gender specific growth charts ages 2 to 20 years of age.
The following percentiles cutoff points are used by Healthcare professionals to identify overweight in children.
Ages 2 through 20 years of age:
Underweight |
BMI-for-age less than 5th percentile |
Normal |
BMI-for-age 5th percentile to less than 85th percentile |
At Risk of Overweight |
BMI-for-age 85th percentile to less than 95th percentile |
Overweight |
BMI-for-age greater than or equal to 95th percentile |
Doctors and other health care professionals are the best people to determine whether your child or adolescent's is overweight or at risk for overweight. A physician will also consider your child's age and growth patterns to determine whether or not his or her weight is healthy for their age.
For adults over 20 years of age, BMI falls into one of these categories:
Group-Adult |
BMI |
Normal |
19-25 |
Overweight |
25-30 |
Obesity |
>30 |
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