...... Healthy Weight Kids Coalition of Southern Kentucky is a coalition of health-related professionals and organizations with the goal of preventing and treating the serious  problem of overweight in children.

BMI: Estimate of 85th% for Age: 

[The only variation from the "Age + 10" rule is boys 12-14 years old (tall and lanky) but this only lowers the BMI by one point. If you stick to the "age + 10" rule, you will not miss any at-risk boys or girls. The worst that could happen is that you might let an 85th percentile 14-year-old boy slip by as 75th percentile for a few years. We recommend that you teach all your patients the principles of a healthy diet and exercise, and that way you will be properly treating your 14-year-old already!] 

Once you have identified a child as "at risk", you should plot their BMI on the back of the new growth charts (BMI-for-Age). This will show a more precise percentile for the child's exact age. Over the 85th percentile is still considered "at risk" and over the 95th percentile is considered obese, and the child is immediately at risk for several serious health problems, including hypertension, diabetes, congestive heart failure, and others. At this point, further work up is indicated.

When charting your office notes, note the BMI, and write the 85th percentile for age in parentheses after it. This will give an immediate comparison, and will serve for future reference. For example, chart "BMI = 27/21" for an eleven-year-old child whose BMI calculates to 27. When he returns in the next year or two, you can quickly refer to the former BMI, which was 6 points over the 85th percentile for age at that time.

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CDC Offers BMI Calculator On-Line

The BMI calculator below is provided by the CDC. Remember that BMI varies by age. The same CDC website offers BMI-for-Age charts, and the new Ross Growth Charts have BMI-for-Age charts on the back.

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