Is your child overweight?

Children come in all shapes and sizes and genetics determines basic body shape. Assessing weight in children can be complicated as there is a range of weight that is generally considered healthy. A child is considered to be overweight if they have excess body fat for their age. Children are still growing so it important to consider your child's height, weight & age when assessing if excess body fat is a problem.

How to assess your child

One way of assessing if your child is overweight or obese is to calculate their BMI (Body Mass Index). BMI is calculated by dividing the weight in kilograms by the height in metres squared. BMI = Wt (kg)/Ht (m2).

For example a child who weighs 32 kg and is 1.5 m tall has a BMI of 14.2

A child's BMI changes according to their age and so it is important that a child's BMI be compared against the BMI age and gender percentile charts which are designed specifically for children 2-18 years.

For the BMI-for-age percentile chart for Girls 2-18 years click here.

For the BMI-for-age percentile chart for Boys 2-18 years click here.

The *BMI percentile ranges include:

      • 3rd to 85th percentile - normal range
      • 85th to 95th percentile- at risk of overweight
      • 95th percentile and above - overweight range

(*Source: International Association for the Study of Obesity)

Growth charts and BMI for children should be used as a guide only. It is always best to seek professional advice if you are concerned about your child. 

What should parents do?

Parents have a major influence on the diet and lifestyle of young children and so there is a lot you can do to help your child reach and maintain a healthier weight.

Strict dieting and extreme eating patterns are not the recommended strategies for weight control in children. There is a risk that growth and development may be affected, or the child may develop obsessions around body image and unhealthy 'yo yo dieting' patterns for life. 

The best success comes from long-term changes towards healthier eating patterns, more physical activity and less time spent on sedentary pursuits. For many children, physical activity is no longer a natural part of their lifestyle so it must be structured into their daily routine.

To achieve long term success the focus needs to be on health & fitness for all family members, rather than weight loss for the individual child. Children who are overweight find it easier to achieve a healthy weight if the whole family makes healthy lifestyle changes.

Rapid weight loss is not the goal for the overweight child. A better goal may be to prevent further weight gains while growth occurs and height increases, or to slow down the expected weight gain over time. 

It is important to seek professional advice and act early as many overweight children go on to become overweight adults if the issue is not addressed.

Helping your child make long term changes will be helping them for life.

Diet & Lifestyle Program for kids

The Nutrition Solutions Diet & Lifestyle Program for kids is a family approach to weight control.  It is individually tailored to suit your family and designed to

    • empower parents to make eating well and being active the high priority in the family
    • assist parents to improve their knowledge on healthy foods & habits
    • assist parents to focus on influencing children's activity levels through providing opportunities, support and encouragement.
    • involve children in developing their own diet & lifestyle plan
    • encourage improved vitality & energy levels for all the family
    • achieve long term weight control for your child

The Nutrition Solutions Diet & Lifestyle Program for kids provides families with the tools for healthy, long term lifestyle habits.

For more on this Diet & Lifestyle Program for kids click here.

To make an appointment with the Dietitian please click here.