I’ve been trying to figure out if my children are overweight. I used the BMI formula for myself. Can I use the same guidelines for my kids?

Body Mass Index or BMI is an easy way to measure obesity in adults. Specific BMI values are labeled “normal,” “overweight,” and “obese.” BMI for children up to age 20 is measured as a percentile based on growth charts. The charts are available through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/).

These charts include BMI for age and gender and make it easier to track the growth pattern of children. Besides the CDC website, Medscape offers additional information on the growth charts that may be helpful (http://www.medscape.com/viewprogram/2560).

Since obesity is affecting more and more children with many long-term consequences, use of the growth charts is a very good idea for all parents.