Childhood Obesity Defined
Overweight and obesity is defined in children by the Body Mass Index (BMI) measurement, or the measure of weight adjusted for height using age and gender specific growth charts. BMI is defined as weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of height (in meters). BMI levels correlate with body fat and also correlate with concurrent health risks, especially cardiovascular risk factors. For children, the distribution of BMI changes with age. As a result, percentiles specific for age and gender define underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obesity in children. Obesity risk is also determined by screening family history, assessing physical activity and nutrition behaviors, a review of systems and physical examination for comorbidities, which taken altogether determine the need for intervention.
