New BMI charts for children, teens with severe obesity by: Kristen Gallant. Posted: Dec 15, 2022 / 06:36 PM EST. Updated: Dec 15, 2022 / 06:36 PM EST. by: Kristen Gallant.

In recent decades, severe obesity among children in America has nearly quadrupled, experts said. The old scale, which went up to 37, has been in use for more than two decades, ...

A child is considered obese if they reach the 95th percentile on the growth charts, and severely obese at 120% of that mark — or with a BMI of 35 or higher, according to the CDC.

Last year, the CDC updated its 22-year-old pediatric BMI-for-age growth charts to add BMIs above the 97th percentile for the first time in order to track severe obesity in children aged 2 to 19 years.

When looking at children and adolescents at or above the 95th percentile for BMI, it’s important to remember that the CDC growth charts were drafted roughly 50 years ago. About 20% of children ...

WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials have revised a tool to track the rising cases of severe obesity among children who were previously off the charts. Updated growth charts released Thursday by the ...