However, you should ask your family doctor, pediatrician, or other health care provider about your child's BMI percentile and whether they are at risk for disease. For example, a child may have a high BMI for age and gender, but to determine if excess fat is a problem, a health care provider would need to perform further assessments.Ī BMI percentile will not tell you if your child has or will get a disease. For children, BMI is used to screen for overweight, healthy weight, or underweight. A child or teen that is at the 95th percentile or above is considered overweight. A child or teen that is between the 85th and 95th percentile on the growth chart is considered at risk of overweight. First, identify your weight (to the nearest 10 pounds) in one of the columns across the top, then move your finger down the column until you come to the row that represents your height. The growth charts use a child's BMI, age, and sex to produce a BMI percentile.Ī child's BMI percentile shows how his or her BMI compares with other boys or girls of the same age. You can also determine your BMI using the table below. So, BMI for children 2 to 20 years old is determined by using a BMI chart that compares their weight and height along with growth charts. Children are still growing, and boys and girls develop at different rates. BMI for Childrenįor children and teens, overweight is defined differently than it is for adults. Or use the BMI tables on the Aim for a Healthy Weight website. Use a BMI calculator for adults and learn your BMI by entering your height and body weight. They would not be considered obese from the perspective of health risk. Big athletes with lots of muscle might have a BMI over 30, but may still have a healthy body composition. People who are obese (BMI of 30 or above) almost always have a large amount of body fat in relation to their height.

People who are overweight (BMI of 25 to 29.9) have too much body weight for their height.

Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated from your height and weight and is a useful measure of overweight and obesity. Materials for Ethnically Diverse Populationsįor adults, a healthy weight is defined as the appropriate body weight in relation to height.Materials to Share With Children and Teens.Resources About Public Programs and Policy.

Bmi calculator chart for women