Body Mass Index BMI

Body mass index BMI is an old concept of about early 19th century by a Belgian scientist. Body mass index (BMI) is used to calculate the statistics of your body’s health. BMI is calculated by using the weight and height of a person. Ideal BMI changes with age. Low BMI symbolizes fitness while high BMI represents fatness.


T calculate yours, use the BMI formula:

BMI= weight in kilograms/ square of height in meters


It is the physical and psychological phase of development. The age between 10 and 19 is the adolescent age. Humans of this range are known as “children and teens”. This phase is also known as “teenage”. Every phase has a specific ideal BMI. Similarly, the teenage or adolescent phase also has a unique BMI range. But in the case of kids, BMI really doesn’t matter. As these are their growing years so they may gain or lose weight suddenly and quickly. They may also have an increment of inches in their heights overnight. This is all due to their growing phase of puberty.

How to calculate adolescent BMI?

BMI of adults has two factors, which are weight and height. While in the case of children and teens BMI depends on age, gender, height, and weight. BMI is not the measure of body fat. Its measurement depends on all factors. Use any BMI calculator to calculate your kid’s BMI. Kids with a big frame, lots of muscles, and less fat can have a high BMI. On the other hand, kids with a small frame but lots of body fat can have a normal BMI. Hence, only body fat does not matter in kids’ BMI.

Nowadays, it is common for teens to gain weight (body fat) quickly. Similarly, their BMI also rises rapidly. Sometimes increment in weight is the part of physical development and sometimes it can be a serious problem. You consider your doctor to ask whether it’s a positive increment in BMI or if it has negative effects. Calculating BMI has now become much easier. Many websites are providing online kids’ BMI calculators. You can easily use these websites for a BMI calculator for children. It is an effective way of finding a kid’s BMI by providing a child’s gender, age, height, and weight. You can follow the following steps to calculate BMI for kids:

  • Search for “Adolescent BMI calculator”. A series of websites will appear.
  • Choose any site of your choice.
  • Enter age and gender in the blank spaces of the calculator.
  • Also, write weight (kg) and height in meters or inches in the blank spaces of the calculator.
  • Click on “Calculate”.
  • After processing, the results will be displayed on your screen.

After getting the BMI  result, you can further discuss it with your personal physician. He will further guide you about the perfect ratio of height and weight according to your kid’s age and gender.

Adolescent Body Mass Index BMI range:

Children and teens’ BMI can be categorized as underweight, healthy weight, overweight, or obese. BMI range for children and teens is given as follows:

  • Underweight ( below 5 percentiles of height, age, and gender BMI)
  • Healthy Weight ( equal to or greater than 5 percentiles and less than 85th percentiles of age, gender, and height BMI)
  • Overweight (above 85th percentile but less than the 95th percentile of age, height, and gender BMI)
  • Obese (above 95th percentile of age, height, and weight BMI)

You can use any online BMI calculator to check that in which category your kid falls.

Healthy BMI for children and teens:

If a kid has greater than 5 percentile and less than 85th percentile of age, height, and gender, then his/her BMI is considered healthy. Healthy weight is the perfect category for teenagers and children. A kid with a perfect amount of body fat, height, and fitness has a normal BMI. Do not try too hard to bring your child to a healthy BMI range. As every child has a unique style of development. BMI  does not matter much. The thing that matters the most is their health. So, just focus on keeping them healthy. Remember that dieting is prohibited at this age.

Points to consider :

Every child has different phycological and physical behavior in his/her teen phase. They mature and grow differently during these years. Similarly, their BMI is also different. BMI does not represent an accurate measure in the case of kids. Their heights and weight charts also differ. These charts are just a rough average measure of their height, weight, and BMI during the teenage phase.

Youngsters need more attention to their health during these growing years. As puberty also occurs in these years, the bodies of teens grow faster than other years of their lives. On average, girls puberty starts around the ages of 10 or 11 and ends around 15 to 17 years old. While boys start puberty around 11 to 12 and end around 16 to 17 years old.

Pay more attention to youngsters in this phase, as it will help them on their way towards maturity and young age. During this phase, you may notice the emergence of abstract thinking, sudden emotional changes, and mood swings in kids and it is quite natural, as they are advancing towards maturity. Usually, children understand the viewpoints of the next person more effectively during this phase. They will enjoy talking about a specific event and negotiating their viewpoints.  During these years, they can gain or lose pounds of weight rapidly. They may also get taller overnight. Therefore, dieting is not recommended for youngsters.  Don’t ever force them to eat less or more. Let them eat healthy food and do not allow unhealthy junk food at this stage. You can consult your doctor if you are concerned about the height or weight of your children during this phase. As BMI changes with age.

What is overweight for 14 years old?

The average weight for girls around 14 is about 47.6 kg while the average weight for boys around 14 is 50.8 kg. The average height for teenage girls around 14 is 158.7 cm. On the other hand, the average height for boys around 14 is 163.8cm. A kid having height and weight more than the above-given measurements may be considered overweight. But you should consult your doctor first to see if it is overweightness or not.

What is overweight for 13 years old?

The average weight for girls around 13 is about 45.8 kg while the average weight for boys around 14 is 45.3 kg. The average height for teenage girls around 14 is 156.7 cm. On the other hand, the average height for boys around 13 is 156.2 cm. A kid having height and weight more than the above-given measurements may be considered overweight. But you should consult your doctor first to see if it is overweightness or not.

Health issues due to obesity

We know that teenage is a phase of development. But you should seek medical advice for health care and check whether you have a normal BMI or you are obese or overweight. During these years, it is necessary to pay full attention to the child’s growth. Kids must be fit, active, and energetic during this phase as it is good for their psychological development. If you don’t pay much attention to obesity in kids, then it may cause serious health risks in the future. These health risks include type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, stroke, gall bladder diseases, high cholesterol, and joint problems.

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