How Do You Calculate A Childs Median BMI?
Body mass index (BMI) is an estimation of body fat mass based on an individual’s height and weight. The formula for calculating BMI is the same for both children and adults. However, because the established range for healthy body fat percentage varies with age among children and teens and differs according to gender, the standards used to interpret the meaning of BMI figures is different for persons under 20 than it is for adults. Too account for this variability, growth charts are used to indicate BMI percentile ranking. Percentile ranking is what signifies the relative weight status of a child. Weigh your child or use your child’s last known weight from his most recent doctor’s visit. Measure your child’s height, or you may again use your child’s last known weight from his most recent doctor’s visit. Use the CDC: BMI Calculator resource located at the end of this article. Enter the child’s birth date and the date of his last weighing, select your child’s gender, and enter his height
