Overweight child

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Overweight child

Body mass index (BMI), which measures weight in relation to height, is used to determine whether a child is overweight. A child with a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile on a growth chart is usually considered overweight.

In some cases, a child may be overweight because he or she has a large amount of body fat (adipose tissue). However, not all children with BMIs greater than the 95th percentile have too much body fat. For instance:

A child who has grown consistently at a higher percentile for most of his or her life may just be bigger than other children of the same age due to genetics.
Before and during puberty, it is normal for children to have a significant gain in weight before beginning to grow in height. This can temporarily increase a child's BMI.
Children who are very muscular (for instance, children who are very active in sports) may have a higher BMI but have normal or even low amounts of body fat.

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Author	Jeannette Curtis
Author	Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Editor	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS
Editor	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA
Associate Editor	Tracy Landauer
Associate Editor	Pat Truman, MATC
Primary Medical Reviewer	Patrice Burgess, MD - Family Medicine
Primary Medical Reviewer	Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine
Primary Medical Reviewer	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Last Updated	May 25, 2007

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Last updated:	May 25, 2007
Author:	Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC

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