Unhealthy weight (91st percentile or above) Aim to instil healthy habits in your whānau/family so you and your children can enjoy good health for life. Your child is likely to be a healthy weight for their height. Healthy weight (between the 2nd and 91st percentiles) Make an appointment to see your GP or practice nurse.

But it could mean they aren't eating enough, or they have an underlying health issue. If your child is underweight, it might be because they have inherited this from you or their other parent. Underweight (on the 2nd percentile or below) They will be able to check for any underlying health conditions and may be able to refer your whānau/family to a healthy lifestyle programme for extra support. Regardless of your child's BMI result, if you have concerns about their eating, activity levels, sleep, screen time or overall wellbeing, talk to your GP or practice nurse. For example, a girl on the 80th percentile has a BMI score higher than 80 out of 100 other girls her age. This shows how your child's BMI compares to other children of the same sex and age.

You should also take a note of the BMI result and read the information below.īMI calculators for children give the results as a percentile. The calculator will tell you if your child is underweight, a healthy weight or an unhealthy weight for their height and age.Īfter giving the BMI result, the calculator provides practical information about what the result means. You'll need to know your child's weight in kilograms and their height in centimetres. You need to use a calculator that is suitable for children, as BMI is measured differently for adults. If your child is at least two years old, you can work out their BMI using an online BMI calculator. See the video in the recommended links below. Role-model this in the way you talk about your own body and other people's. Talk about the amazing things their body can do – run, jump, skip, tickle – not what their body looks like. To help your child have a positive body image, do not compare their body to others.

The body mass index (BMI) is a way to find out if your child is the right weight for their height. They're also much less likely to have health problems later in life. There is a wide range of healthy shapes and sizes.Ĭhildren who stay a healthy weight tend to be fitter, healthier, better able to learn and more self-confident. If you're concerned that your child may be gaining or losing weight too fast, talk to your doctor.Home > Child health > Eating well for children > Finding out if my child is a healthy weight He aha te taumaha hauora o tāu tamaiti?Ĭhildren come in different shapes and sizes – big, tall, small and short. While BMI is an important indicator of healthy growth and development, BMI is not a perfect measure of body fat. Any one measurement, taken out of context, can give you the wrong impression of your child's growth. 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.Overweight: BMI is at or above the 85th percentile but less than the 95th percentile for age, gender, and height.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. 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.

Childrens bmi calculator