unhealthy weight in children

body mass index (bmi), which measures weight in relation to height, is used to identify a possible weight problem for a child older than 2 years old.

a child age 2 to younger than 5 who has a bmi:

• below the 3rd percentile is at risk for underweight.
• in the 3rd percentile to below the 85th percentile is at a healthy weight.
• in the 85th percentile to the 97th percentile is at risk for overweight.
• above the 97th percentile to the 99.9th percentile is overweight.
• above the 99th percentile is obese.

a child ages 5 to 19 who has a bmi:

• below the 3rd percentile is at risk for underweight.
• in the 3rd percentile to below the 85th percentile is at a healthy weight.
• in the 85th percentile to the 97th percentile is overweight.
• above the 97th percentile to the 99.9th percentile is obese.
• above the 99th percentile is severely obese.

children grow at a different rates. your doctor can tell you if your child's weight is a concern.

in some cases, a child may be considered at risk for overweight or overweight because he or she has a large amount of body fat (adipose tissue). but not all children with bmis in the 85th to 97th percentile have too much body fat. for instance:

• a child who has grown consistently at a higher percentile for most of his or her life may just be bigger than other children of the same age due to genetics.
• before and during puberty, it is normal for children to have a significant gain in weight before beginning to grow in height. this can temporarily increase a child's bmi.
• children who are very muscular (for instance, children who are very active in sports) may have a higher bmi but have normal or even low amounts of body fat.