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7.2
Childhood Obesity
Summary
●● O●v erwSeuigmhmt aanrdy BoublelestiteydaLriestmeasured by body ●● Organic causes of obesity are very rare and
mass index (BMI) which is calculated by family lifestyle is the most common cause of
dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by the childhood obesity.
square of their height in metres.
●● Families first need to acknowledge that their
●● BMI varies throughout childhood, decreasing child is overweight or obese and be motivated
from about 1 year to 5–6 years and then slowly to address this through lifestyle changes if
increasing throughout the rest of childhood. interventions are to be successful.
●● BMI-for-age centile charts are used to classify ●● Lifestyle changes are very difficult for families
children as overweight or obese – above the to make and they may need considerable
91st centile is considered overweight and support to achieve change.
above the 98th centile is classified as obese.
Definitions of Overweight and years of age – the average BMI at one year is 17.5,
Obesity in Children falling to about 15.5 at 5–6 years of age
In children, overweight and obesity are defined by ●● steadily increase from about 6 years of age until
body mass index (BMI) centile. As discussed in adulthood.
Chapter 2.1, BMI is a measure of weight relative to
height and is calculated by dividing the weight in BMI is only considered accurate as a measure of
kilograms by the square of the height in metres: whether a child is a normal or abnormal weight for
their height from about 2 years of age.
BMI =( hweiegihght itninmk)g2
Clinical definitions of overweight and
BMI varies throughout childhood and this obesity in the UK
variation is slightly different between boys and
girls. Hence there are gender-specific BMI-for-age Once a child’s weight and height have been
centile charts. measured accurately on calibrated equipment
the BMI is calculated and then plotted on a
Other characteristics to note about BMI values BMI-for-age centile chart. In a clinical setting a
are that they: child is:
●● increase during infancy ●● overweight if they are between the 91st and 98th
centile lines
●● decrease from 1 year or when the toddler
becomes increasingly mobile until about 5–6 ●● obese if they are on or above the 98th centile
line.
