Childhood Obesity: Understandig BMI (Body Mass Index)
What is BMI? Is it important?
Body mass index is not a measure of body fat. The formula uses height and weight measurements to calculate the BMI number. This number is plotted on a chart, which tells a person whether he or she is underweight, average weight, or at risk of becoming overweight or overweight.
Body mass index is derived from dividing weight by height squared to determine a child's weight relative to height. Pediatricians should follow the BMI of children over 2 years of age to track their weight for height at various ages and to look for growth trends.
Answered by
Cindy Cunningham, RD
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