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Interpretation of BMI plotted on a BMI-for-age chart is based on the
established cutoff values.
These percentiles indicate the rank of BMI in a group of 100 children
of the same gender and age. For example, in a group of 100 children, you
would expect:
- 5 children to have a BMI-for-age that is at or above the 95th
percentile
- 10 to have a BMI-for-age that is between the 85th and 95th
percentiles
- 5 to have a BMI-for-age less than the 5 percentile,
- 80 children will have a BMI-for-age that is within the normal range.
Note that there are no recognized standards to satisfactorily define
the lower limits of BMI-for-age for children and adolescents; however, it
is reasonable to use BMI-for-age to identify children and adolescents as
underweight. Research is needed to determine the validity of using
BMI-for-age to screen for underweight.
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