For example, if a child has a BMI in the 60th percentile, 60% of the kids of the same gender and age who were measured had a lower BMI.īMI is not a direct measure of body fat. What Do the Figures Mean?īMI percentiles show how a child's measurements compare with others the same gender and age.

Over several visits, the doctor is able to track your child's growth pattern.Īlthough not a perfect measure of body fat, BMI helps identify children who are gaining weight too slowly or too quickly. Because BMI changes with age, doctors plot children's BMI measurements on standard gender-specific growth charts. Starting when your child is 2 years old, the doctor will determine BMI at all routine checkups.

But it's also important to talk to your child's doctor to help understand the results. You can use the KidsHealth BMI calculator below to find your child's BMI. However, the BMI ranges are based on the relationship between body weight and disease and death, and knowing your number can be life-saving.Body mass index (BMI) is a calculation that uses height and weight to estimate how much body fat someone has. Why BMI Is Still Important For Black WomenīMI is not the only way to size up your shape. According to new research from Rush University Medical Center, cultural norms for body size may prevent awareness among many Black women about the potential health benefits they and others in their cultural group might achieve through weight loss. Black women have the highest obesity prevalence of any demographic group and are more likely to underestimate their body weight than white women.The cultural threshold for overweight was determined to be about a BMI of 35, which is higher than the medical definition of ≥25. According to researchers in the study Body Size Perception Among African American Women, 56% of overweight women (BMI 25 or greater) and 40% of obese women (BMI 30 or greater) did not classify their body size as overweight, obese, or too fat.The statistical risk for disease high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure would increase at BMI of 30 /180 pounds in Caucasian women and at BMI 33 /198 pounds in Black women according to researchers.Based on direct measures of body fat, such as dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), researchers found that a Black woman may not be overweight or obese even though the BMI formula indicates that she is.Discrepancies in BMI may be due to variations in bone mineral content, hydration state and the density of lean mass in different ethnic groups.Atkinson, MD, a researcher and editor of the International Journal of Obesity.įor Black women in particular, here are five interesting aspects to consider regarding BMI: There are a lot of differences in BMI and health risk among multicultural groups according to Richard L. An African-American with a BMI of 28, considered overweight by the standard chart, may be as healthy as a Caucasian person with a BMI of 25. RELATED: What Is BMI & How Can I Calculate It?Īfrican-Americans tend to have less visceral fat (fat around their organs) and more muscle mass. For African American, women the number is 32.” It doesn’t take into account differences in body composition between genders, race/ethnicity groups and across the life span,” says Molly Bray, an associate professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and lead author of a study at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.īray states, “Non-Hispanic white women are not considered obese until they have a BMI of 30 or above. “This scale was created years ago and is based on Caucasian men and women. The current BMI categories state: BMI Chart Women: Epidemiologists use BMI to calculate national obesity rates.īritish Journal of Nutrition published a study that found the BMI formula , which is widely used to determine body fat, may not be accurate for non-Caucasian, multicultural populations. BMI is an inexpensive and easy-to-perform method of screening to identify possible weight problems for adults. Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to most adult men and women.

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