Promoting Healthy Weight
Promoting Healthy Weight Maintaining a healthy weight during childhood Definitions and Terminology and adolescence is critically important for chil- dren’s and adolescents’ overall health and well- Body mass index (BMI) is defined as weight (kilo- being, as well as for good health in adulthood. A grams) divided by the square of height (meters): 2 child’s or adolescent’s weight status is the result weight (kg)/[height (m)] . Although BMI does not of multiple factors working together—heredity, directly measure body fat, it is a useful screening metabolism, height, behavior, and environment.1 tool because it correlates with body fat and health 2 HEAL PROMOTING Two of the most important behavioral determi- risks. Additionally, measuring BMI is clinically nants are nutrition and physical activity. How feasible. In children and adolescents, BMI distribu- much and what a child or adolescent eats and tion, like weight and height distributions, changes the types and intensity of physical activity she with age. As a result, while BMI is appropriate to categorize body weight in adults, BMI percentiles participates in can affect weight and therefore T overall health. A balanced, nutritious diet and specific for age and sex from reference populations WE HY define underweight, healthy weight, overweight, regular physical activity are keys to preventing IG overweight and obesity. and obesity in children and adolescents. H T Underweight is an issue for some children and Body mass index is recommended as one of sev- adolescents, including some children and youth eral screening tools for assessing weight status. For with special health care needs and some adolescents individual children and adolescents, health care with eating disorders, but the overriding concern professionals need to review growth patterns, fam- with weight status in the United States today is over- ily histories, and medical conditions to assess risk weight and obesity.
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