BMI Percentile Calculator for Child and Teen: Results on a Growth Chart

Information Entered

❗ This child or teenager has a BMI that is very far from the healthy weight range. Please check the accuracy of the information you entered. If the age, weight, and height values are correct, the following shows the calculated values for this child.

Results

Based on the height and weight entered, the BMI is , placing the BMI-for-age at percentile for s aged . This child .

• What does it mean?
• What should you do?
• About Growth Charts

Body mass index-for-age percentiles: , 2 to 20 years

What does this mean?

BMI is calculated using your child’s weight and height and is then used to find the corresponding BMI-for-age percentile for your child’s age and sex.

BMI-for-age percentile shows how your child’s weight compares to that of other children of the same age and sex. For example, a BMI-for-age percentile of 65 means that the child’s weight is greater than that of 65% of other children of the same age and sex.

Based on the height and weight entered, the BMI is , placing the BMI-for-age at percentile for s aged . This child .

Maintaining a healthy weight throughout childhood and adolescence may reduce the risk of becoming overweight or obese as an adult.

Although the child does not currently have obesity, this child has the potential for becoming obese so it is important to prevent excess weight gain. Children and teens should NOT be placed on a weight reduction diet without the consultation of a healthcare provider.

Because BMI percentiles are problematic when they approach 100, one alternative is to express the child's BMI as a percentage of the 95th percentile. Based on the entered weight and height, this child has a BMI that is % of the 95th percentile (the cut point for obesity). Please see https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIR.0b013e3182a5cfb3external icon for more information concerning children with very high BMIs. The PDF of that publication is free to download.

Children with obesity are likely to have a high BMI in adulthood. Adults with overweight or obesity are at higher risk for health complications related to obesity, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.

The goal for children and adolescents with overweight and obesity is to reduce the rate of weight gain while allowing normal growth and development. Children and teens should NOT be placed on a weight reduction diet without the consultation of a healthcare provider.

What should you do?

Regardless of the current BMI-for-age category, help your child or teen develop healthy weight habits and talk with your doctor or other healthcare provider as part of ongoing tracking of BMI-for-age. If your child has significant weight loss or gain, he or she should be referred to and guided by a doctor or other healthcare provider.

Practice healthy weight habits

Encourage children and teens to practice healthy weight habits by:

For more information, see Tips to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity for Children and Teens.

Keep track of BMI-for-age

Check BMI-for-age annually, or more often if recommended by the child’s healthcare provider. Tracking growth patterns over time can help you make sure your child is achieving or maintaining a healthy weight. A single BMI-for-age calculation is not enough to evaluate long-term weight status because height and weight change with growth.

Please keep in mind that this BMI calculator is not meant to serve as a source of clinical guidance and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Because BMI is based on weight and height, it is only an indicator of body fatness. Individuals with the same BMI may have different amounts of body fat. Persons may consider seeking advice from their doctor or other healthcare provider on healthy weight status.

About Growth Charts

See the following example of how some sample BMI numbers would be interpreted for a 10-year-old boy.