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• Me Saying Obese is Not Body Shaming

  • Use this BMI Calculator

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Me Saying Obese is Not Body Shaming

One of my responsibilities as a pediatrician is to ensure a child is developing and growing at a healthy rate. Part of that is, obviously, measuring height and weight. And in the world of medicine, we have specific terms that are used when categorizing a child’s body mass index (BMI).

Here’s the chart, from HealthyChildren.org:

So, when I tell a parent that their child is “obese,” I’m not trying to use an “offensive” term. I’m not body shaming. I’m simply using the actual clinical language the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has defined.

Use this BMI Calculator

All medical professionals use a calculation to determine a child’s BMI. BMI is a simple mathematical calculation using only height and weight. It isn’t the end all. It’s another point of data, along with a whole host of other factors, that a pediatrician will use to help determine overall health. Here’s an easy calculator from the CDC so you can calculate your own child’s BMI.

(I can’t embed this in an email, so you’ll have to click on the image/link below to access the CDC link.)

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