Body Mass Index (BMI) for Children and Teens
BMI is Used Differently with Children than it is with Adults
In children and teens, body mass index is used to assess underweight,
overweight, and risk for overweight. Children's body fatness changes over the
years as they grow. Also, girls and boys differ in their body fatness as they
mature. This is why BMI for children, also referred to as BMI-for-age (BMI for Children and Teens is sometimes referred to as "BMI-for-age"), is gender
and age specific. BMI-for-age is plotted on gender specific growth charts. These
charts are used for children and teens 2 - 20 years of age. For the 2000 CDC
Growth Charts and Additional Information visit CDC's National Center for Health
Each of the CDC BMI-for-age gender specific charts contains a series of
curved lines indicating specific percentiles. Healthcare professionals use the
following established percentile cutoff points to identify underweight and
overweight in children.
||BMI-for-age < 5th percentile
|At Risk of Overweight
||BMI-for-age 85th percentile to < 95th percentile
||BMI-for-age > 95th percentile
BMI decreases during the preschool years, then increases into adulthood. The
percentile curves show this pattern of growth.
What does it mean if my child is in the 60th percentile?
The 60th percentile means that compared to children of the same gender and
age, 60% have a lower BMI.
Example: Let's look at the BMI for a boy as he grows. While his BMI
changes, he remains at the 95th percentile BMI-for-age.
We see how the boy's BMI declines during his preschool years and increases as
he gets older.
Why is BMI-for-age a useful tool?
BMI-for-Age is used for children and teens because of their rate of growth
and development. It is a useful tool because:
- BMI-for-age provides a reference for adolescents that
can be used beyond puberty.
- BMI-for-age in children and adolescents compares well
to laboratory measures of body fat.
- BMI-for-age can be used to track body size throughout life.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
For additional information, please visit the
Last Editorial Review: 1/3/2005