Obesity

Childhood Obesity

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Diagnosis

A child's weight is evaluated by his or her primary care pediatrician during regular check-ups and office visits. Weight issues rarely sprout rapidly but rather develop over time. If you think your child has a weight problem, make an appointment with his or her pediatrician or primary care doctor.

There are two main tools doctors use to assess a child's weight:

• Growth Charts -- These charts are used throughout a child's development to assess growth, both height and weight, as compared to other children the same age and to watch how a child's body changes over time. Almost every doctor uses the same growth charts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), based on the measurements of thousands of children.

• Body Mass Index (BMI) for Age Charts -- This index uses height, weight, gender and age to assess a child's weight. A formula is used to calculate a child's BMI:

  BMI = weight in kilograms / (height in meters) ²

  The number is plotted on a growth chart -- greater than the 95 percentile is considered overweight or obese. A child who falls between the 85 percentile and 95 percentile is considered at risk for becoming overweight.

  Note that this is higher than the cutoffs for adults. An adult with a BMI between 25 and 30 is considered overweight, while an adult with a BMI over 30 is considered obese.

If you have questions about your child's weight, ask to see his or her growth chart. It can be helpful to look at your child's measurements over time. Children also may like to see their chart.

If your child is overweight or at risk, your doctor or a nutritionist may do a 24-hour food recall with you and your child. This is a tool for gathering information about meal patterns, the consumption of sugared-beverages and snacking routines. You and your child may be asked about his or her level of physical activity.

Children determined to be overweight or at risk should be referred by their pediatrician to a registered dietitian and possibly a comprehensive obesity program, such as the UCSF Weight Assessment for Teen and Child Health (WATCH) Clinic.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated May 8, 2007