1. What is Pediatric BMI?

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to children and teens. For children, BMI is age- and gender-specific and is referred to as BMI-for-age.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the standard BMI formula:

Where:

• \( weight \) — Body weight in kilograms
• \( height \) — Height in meters

Explanation: The result is then plotted on CDC growth charts to determine the BMI percentile for the child's age and gender.

3. Importance of BMI Calculation

Details: BMI-for-age is the recommended measure for screening overweight and obesity in children and teens. It helps identify potential weight problems that may lead to health issues.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter weight in kg, height in meters, age in years (2-20), and select gender. For accurate results, measurements should be taken with minimal clothing and no shoes.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What do the percentiles mean?
A: Below 5th percentile = underweight; 5th to 85th = healthy weight; 85th to 95th = overweight; 95th and above = obese.

Q2: Why use age-specific BMI for children?
A: Children's body composition changes as they grow, so BMI must be interpreted relative to other children of the same age and gender.

Q3: How often should BMI be measured in children?
A: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends BMI screening at least annually for all children 2 years and older.

Q4: Are there limitations to BMI?
A: BMI doesn't directly measure body fat and may misclassify muscular children as overweight or fail to identify those with high body fat percentage.

Q5: What's the difference between adult and pediatric BMI?
A: For adults, BMI categories are fixed numbers. For children, BMI is compared to percentiles based on age and gender.