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Input the kid’s weight (once again, chose the units you love the most). The BMI is not a perfect measure so it is important to ask yourself (and doctor) for possible reasons for your BMI reading to decide if it is due actually having or not having a healthy body weight. Here are the steps for using the BMI calculator for kids effectively: Input the kid’s height (the units don’t matter because the calculator will convert them to the right ones for the equation). That being said, the body mass index is still to be used along with many other health measures such as lifestyle, fitness, and overall physical happiness. The BMI Chart gives the advantage of visually seeing what is the required weight (or height) that needs to be changed in order to jump from one bodyweight category to another. Red: The category is Extremely Obese and corresponds to a BMI of 40 or higher.Orange: The category is Obese and corresponds to a BMI between 30 and 39.9.Yellow: The category is Overweight and corresponds to a BMI between 25 and 29.9.Green: The category is Normal Weight and corresponds to a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9.Blue: The category is Underweight and corresponds to a BMI of less than 18.5.The category that your body mass index (BMI) lies under is shaded in the corresponding color which is shown in the legend above as well list below:
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The tool has two tabs that are designed to make the calculations for the two measurements systems, English and metric. If you're concerned that your child may be gaining or losing weight too fast, talk to your doctor.To view where your BMI lies in this chart, you can first find your weight on the top horizontal axis and then following the BMI numbers all the way down until the height on the left axis corresponds to your height. This BMI calculator for kids returns the body mass index (BMI) value based on child’s age, gender, height and weight together with the child’s weight status category and with the percentile range values. While BMI is an important indicator of healthy growth and development, BMI is not a perfect measure of body fat. You can use the KidsHealth BMI calculator. Any one measurement, taken out of context, can give you the wrong impression of your child's growth. Body mass index (BMI) is a calculation that uses height and weight to estimate how much body fat someone has. It's important to look at the BMI as a trend instead of focusing on individual numbers. Obese: BMI is at or above the 95th percentile for age, gender, and height.Use this Kids BMI calculator to compare the growth and development of your child with other children in same age group. Overweight: BMI is at or above the 85th percentile but less than the 95th percentile for age, gender, and height. Online BMI calculator for kids, to help parents calculate the body mass index of kids and thereby understand if they are at a healthy weight.Healthy weight: BMI is equal to or greater than the 5th percentile and less than the 85th percentile for age, gender, and height.Underweight: BMI is below the 5th percentile age, gender, and height.The categories that describe a person's weight are: Your doctor can help you figure out whether this weight gain is a normal part of development or whether it's something to be concerned about. It's common for kids to gain weight quickly - and see their BMI go up - during puberty. And a kid with a small frame may have a normal BMI but still can have too much body fat.īMI is less accurate during puberty. Kids can have a high BMI if they have a large frame or a lot of muscle, not excess fat. For example, if a child has a BMI in the 60th percentile, 60% of the kids of the same gender and age who were measured had a lower BMI.īMI is not a direct measure of body fat. Doctors use body mass index (BMI) measurements to assess a childs physical growth in relation to other kids the same age. What Do the Figures Mean?īMI percentiles show how a child's measurements compare with others the same gender and age. Over several visits, the doctor is able to track your child's growth pattern.Īlthough not a perfect measure of body fat, BMI helps identify children who are gaining weight too slowly or too quickly. Because BMI changes with age, doctors plot children's BMI measurements on standard gender-specific growth charts. Starting when your child is 2 years old, the doctor will determine BMI at all routine checkups. But it's also important to talk to your child's doctor to help understand the results. You can use the KidsHealth BMI calculator below to find your child's BMI. Body mass index (BMI) is a calculation that uses height and weight to estimate how much body fat someone has.
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