One way for teens to gauge their weight against their peers is to calculate their body mass index. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, this measurement, which takes into account height and weight, determines a person's body-fat percentage.
Teenagers typically have higher body-fat amounts than adults due to changes that occur during puberty, so the CDC cautions parents and health care providers not to use adult charts to tell whether a teen's BMI is normal, above normal or below normal. Instead, they must use data curves of children and teenagers. These charts can be found on the CDC's website.
Step 1
Determine your teen's height (in either inches or centimeters) using a measuring tape.
Step 2
Square this measurement, or multiply it by itself once. Record this value.
Step 3
Determine your teen's weight in either pounds or kilograms.
Step 4
Divide your teen's weight by his height squared (as determined in Step 2). Multiply this figure by 703 if you used English measurements (inches and pounds) or by 10,000 if you used metric measurements (kilograms and centimeters). The resulting number is your teen's BMI.
Step 5
Using a CDC growth chart, determine whether your teen's BMI is normal, above average or below average. Use the CDC's BMI charts (see Resources) to compare your teen's BMI to others his age.
Step 6
Consult with a doctor about your teen's BMI if you are unable to interpret the CDC growth charts.
Tips and Warnings
- To obtain the most accurate height measurement, have your teen stand barefooted on a hard floor with his feet together, arms at his side, and his heels, buttocks, shoulders and head against a wall. Mark the crown of his head lightly on the wall. Measure the distance from the floor to this mark. Have your teen remove as much excess clothing as possible to obtain an accurate weight measurement.
Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Scale
- Calculator
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