Obesity and being overweight at a young age can lead to serious health problems in adulthood. To interpret the nutritional health of your children, consider measuring their body mass index (BMI) to gauge the percentage of their body mass that is fat. Also, determine their calorie quota to assure that they get no more calories than their bodies need, given their activity level. Achieving a healthier body now can benefit your children significantly in the long run.
Step 1
Assess your child's height in inches. The CDC recommends standing your child barefoot against a flat wall on a non-carpeted surface. Take a thin flat object, such as a ruler, and lower it to your child's head, marking where it lands perpendicularly (at a right angle) to the wall while resting it flat on the child's head. Measure the distance from the floor to the marking on the wall to determine your child's height. Because the BMI and calorie quota formulas depend on height in inches, either measure in inches or convert any feet to inches.
Step 2
Measure your child's weight in pounds. Stand the child on the scale in as little clothing as possible and record the reported measure of weight in pounds. A digital scale may be most preferred to prevent any misreading of your child's weight. However, any scale you feel comfortable with should work.
Step 3
Calculate your child's height squared. Multiply your child's height in inches by itself. For example, if your child measured 38 inches, the square of the height would be 1,444 (38 x 38).
Step 4
Compute your child's BMI using the values from steps 2 and 3. Use this formula for BMI from the Mayo Clinic: (weight in pounds) / (height squared) x 703. If your 38-inch child weighed 40 lb., your child's BMI would be 40 / 1,444 x 703 = 19.5 .
Step 5
Determine your child's basal metabolic rate (BMR) based on her height, weight, age and gender. For males, BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years). For females, BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height) - (4.7 x age in years). If you had a 3-year-old boy who weighed 40 lb. and measured 38 inches tall, his BMR would be 66 + (6.23 x 40) + (12.7 x 38) - (6.8 x 3) = 777.4. This BMR measurement reflects how many calories are burned at rest, which is needed for the calorie quota calculation.
Step 6
Multiply your child's BMR by his factor of activity level to calculate his calorie quota. According to the Harris Benedict Equation, the activity factor ranges from 1.2 to 1.9, where 1.2 represents the minimum of little to no activity and 1.9 represents the maximum of being extremely active--exercising five or more times a week. To calculate the calorie quota for a child who plays actively on occasion, say an activity factor of 1.5 with a BMR of 777.4, you would get 1,166.1 calories (1.5 x 777.4). This means he should consume about 1,166.1 calories daily to maintain his current weight given his BMR and activity level.
Things You'll Need
- Calculator
- Measuring tape
- Scale
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