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Healthy kids come in all shapes and sizes, and this article will help you determine if there are steps you can take to improve the health of your family. It’s important to look at multiple factors, not just BMI, to get the full picture of a child’s health.
Habits that matter most:
Sleep: How much sleep does your child get each night?
Nutrition: How many servings of fruits and vegetables does your child eat each day? Does your child eat much processed food or drink sugary drinks like soda, lemonade, chocolate, milk, etc.?
Physical activity: kids six and older should get at least one hour of physical activity each day most days of the week.
Screen time: It’s recommended that kids get 2 hours or less of recreational screen time each day.
Emotional wellbeing: How well is your child able to manage stress? Is it impacting her daily life, for example, is she unable to fall asleep at night, not wanting to go to school daily, etc.?
In addition to BMI, the following screenings and labs can give a better picture of your child’s health and wellbeing:
Blood pressure: is your pediatrician concerned about your child’s blood pressure?
Cholesterol: Kids should get their cholesterol checked at least once between 9 and 11, and may need to more frequently depending on family history and BMI status.
Liver Enzymes: ALT is a liver enzymes which can assess liver function. Elevated liver enzymes can be a sign of fatty liver disease.
Blood glucose and A1c: these measure risk for diabetes and prediabetes. A1c is a measure of the average blood sugar over the past 3 months and can assess diabetes risk better than a single glucose measure.
What is BMI and why does it matter?
BMI is a measure that takes into account height and weight together. A BMI greater than the 85th percentile is considered to be overweight and a BMI greater than or equal to the 95th percentile is categorized as obesity.
Pediatrician’s generally bring up BMI for one of two reasons.
The first is if there is a big jump in BMI: For example a child may be trending on the 65th percentile, and then quickly move to the 85th percentile. This can be because of change in habits or routines, family changes, or health changes.
The pediatrician will likely address changes in habits that took place and look at what can be done to increase physical activity as well as possible ways to fill her time aside from screen time.
2. The second reason pediatricians bring up BMI is because kids who are on the higher end of the BMI chart can be at increased risk for chronic diseases later in life, for example heart disease, diabetes, or fatty liver disease.
Again, an isolated BMI measure does not give a full picture of a child’s health. It’s important to also consider the child’s family history, health habits, and other risks based on lab results and other screenings.
Once you have the full picture of your child’s health including taking note of their health habits (nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and social/emotional wellbeing), BMI, and lab results, you may notice if there are areas you’d like to improve.
The good news is that small changes can make a big difference. Resist the urge to try to find a “quick fix” diet, and avoid discussing weight loss, as this can negatively impact a child’s body image. Instead, focus on making small changes to improve health as a family, rather than isolating the child.
Look at healthy recipes with your child(ren) and get their feedback on what they’d like to try.
Make physical activity a family activity- walk the dog together, take a walk after dinner, or go to the park on the weekends.
Create a calming bedtime routine that supports your child in getting enough sleep.
Offer a fruit or vegetable at every meal, or as often as possible.
Need support improving your family's health habits?
NAMIO is a free, pediatrician-developed app that helps families improve their health in five key areas: nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and social emotional wellbeing. NAMIO helps families slowly and realistically make changes to help families thrive. Click below to learn more.
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