However this person may just be very muscular and not have a lot of body fat. An athlete for example may have a high BMI and be classified as “at risk of overweight”. «BMI is used as a screening tool and not a diagnostic tool. How is BMI calculated for children and teens Calculating BMI using the BMI Percentile Calculator involves the following steps: Measure height and weight. Go to for a BMI calculator What does the BMI percentile mean?ĥth percentile to less than 85th percentile healthy weightĨ5th percentile to less than 95th percentile at risk of overweight To determine BMI use the following equation: Due to these differences, healthy weight ranges are not provided for children. The amount of body fat changes with age and differs between boys and girls. Where normal BMIs for adults fall between 18.5 to 24.9-according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute-kids can have a BMI outside that range and still be healthy, depending on what percentile their BMI falls into. After BMI is measured, it is plotted on a graph to determine a child’s BMI percentile. Although BMIs are calculated the same the way as for adults, the results for children are interpreted very differently. The BMI-percentile-for-age calculator automatically adjusts for differences in height, age and sex, making it one of the best tools for evaluating a growing child's weight. For most children it is a reliable indicator of body fat. Use this calculator to determine whether a child is at a healthy weight for his/her height, age and sex (1). It is a number that can be calculated from a child’s weight and height. Taking several BMI measurements over time. The percentile is the number that ranks your child's BMI among the BMIs of children of the same gender and age.

This tool also gives you your child's percentile on a growth chart. Understanding BMI in Children What is BMI?īMI stands for Body Mass Index. This tool calculates your child's body mass index (BMI), which provides a way to estimate the effect of weight on health.

Children's bmi percentile calculator