For years, pediatricians have used height and weight measurements to compare your child’s growth to other boys and girls the same age. Now they have another tool: BMI, a number calculated from your child’s height and weight that can be used to estimate body fat. BMI does not measure body fat directly, but many studies have shown that it is a reliable indicator of body fatness and disease risk for most kids.
You don’t need to be a math whiz to calculate BMI. Just grab your calculator and use one of the two basic BMI formulas. It doesn’t matter which formula you use since they both end up with the same BMI -- so you make the call.
Formula 1: BMI = Weight (pounds) ÷ Height (inches) ÷ Height (inches) × 703
Formula 2: BMI = Weight (kilograms) ÷ Height (centimeters) ÷ Height (centimeters) × 10,000
Note: After you have done the math, round off the BMI to the nearest whole number.
For years, pediatricians have used height and weight measurements
to compare your child’s growth to other boys and girls the same
age. Now they have another tool: BMI, a number calculated from your
child’s height and weight that...
More
Jodie Shield of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics answered:For years, pediatricians have used height and weight measurements to compare your child’s growth to other boys and girls the same age. Now they have another tool: BMI, a number calculated from your child’s height and weight that can be used to estimate body fat. BMI does not measure body fat directly, but many studies have shown that it is a reliable indicator of body fatness and disease risk for most kids.
For years, pediatricians have used height and weight measurements to compare your child’s growth to other boys and girls the same age. Now they have another tool: BMI, a number calculated from your child’s height and weight that... More