Is My Child Overweight

How can I determine if my child is actually overweight for his/her size?

The U.S. Surgeon General has officially declared childhood obesity as an epidemic and as a public health threat. Risks include type II diabetes, premature heart disease, bone and joint injuries, and psychological disorders. Children are also at increased risk of having physical limitations due to extra body weight and are more prone to depression and lower self-esteem.

You can use a standard height/weight/BMI chart over the course of many years to determine growth patterns. Children who plot into a growth chart at the ninetieth percentile or greater on weight for height may be at risk for becoming overweight.

As children grow, they change. Some kids grow taller, then fill out; others fill out first, then grow taller. In any case, the fact that a child is tall and thin or plump does not necessarily mean this child will be built like this as an adult. It is perfectly normal for a child's height and weight to constantly fluctuate as she grows, especially during the early teen years. If a child gains a few extra pounds at age twelve or thirteen, this may not be cause for alarm. But if a child puts on an extra 3 to 5 pounds a year for several years, this pattern may need to be broken before it gets out of hand.

If you are concerned that your child may be overweight or at risk for developing a weight problem, speak to your child's doctor. A doctor will be able to assess your child's growth patterns over the years to determine future risk for weight concerns. But again, height/weight charts are just one assessment that can be used. These growth patterns need to continue over several years in order to adequately determine risk.

Growth charts for children up to eighteen years of age (designed by the National Center for Health Statistics in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) are available from pediatricians and physicians. These charts were designed to compare children to other children of the exact same age. Because of the variations between children at various ages, these charts illustrate that about half of all children will fall above and half below the fiftieth percentile for height and weight at each particular age. The fiftieth percentile would be considered average for that age. Taller children tend to lean toward higher percentages, shorter children toward lower percentages. But weight should follow suit. A child's weight should be somewhat consistent to her height. This is illustrated in the height versus weight comparison.