

A child’s health care professional should evaluate the child’s BMI, growth, and potential health risks due to excess body weight. For example, a boy whose weight in relation to his height is greater than 75% of other same-aged boys places in the 75th percentile for BMI and is considered to be of normal or healthy weight.Ĭhildren grow at different rates at different times, so it is not always easy to tell if a child is overweight. The comparison results in a percentile placement. Therefore, a young person’s weight status is calculated based on a comparison with other same-age and same-sex children or teens using CDC’s age- and sex-specific growth charts. Children and TeensĪ child’s body composition changes during growth from infancy into adulthood, and it differs by sex.

Use this online tool from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to gauge BMI for adults. The table below shows BMI ranges for overweight and obesity in adults 20 and older. A health care professional can determine if a person’s health may be at risk because of his or her weight. A high amount of fat can raise the risk of many health problems. BMI is related to the amount of fat in the body. BMI is defined as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Using Body Mass Index (BMI) to Estimate Overweight and ObesityīMI is a tool to estimate and screen for overweight and obesity in adults and children.
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About 1 in 11 adults (9.2%) have severe obesity.More than 2 in 5 adults (42.4%) have obesity.Nearly 1 in 3 adults (30.7%) are overweight.1 Fast FactsĪccording to 2017–2018 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Trends in Obesity among Adults and Youth in the United StatesĪ person whose weight is higher than what is considered to be a normal weight for a given height is described as being overweight or having obesity.
