BMI chart for children

Body mass index or simply BMI is a measure that gives an idea of a human’s weight and height. Devised in 1830 by Adolphe Quetelet, the body mass index is also sometimes referred to as the Quetelet Index.

BMI is used as a screening tool or say a referencing system to find out the problems in weight of children. BMI is used for screening overweight and obese children. For this, standard BMI chart for children are used for reference. It should be noted that BMI however isn’t a diagnostic tool; it can help to see if a child is having weight related problems but it doesn’t tell anything about what is causing the problem or what needs to be done as a cure. Measurements for skin fold thickness, physical activity and other types of tests need to be done as further assessments to learn of the causative agents behind a child’s obesity problem.

BMI Chart for kids and BMI formula

The BMI formula is generally shown as a function of mass and height. A BMI chart is generally represented as a two dimensional chart where the X-Axis denotes weight and the Y Axis denotes height. Then there are subdivisions within the BMI Chart for children. These divisions or areas within the graph show whether a child is obese, overweight, underweight or normal.

BMI chart for children

BMI chart for children make it easier to determine if a child is well within the healthy range for his age in terms of their weight. Here is a sample BMI Chart for Children.  Children BMI Calculator as an alternative to BMI Chart.

Children BMI Calculator can come handy if you want a more mathematical and straightforward answer. There are various BMI calculators available on the internet. You can use this BMI calculator from about.com which is pretty popular. BMI Chart for children really help in determining a child’s health in terms of their weight.