Introduction to Issues and Implications of Screening, Surveillance, and Reporting of Children's BMI

On January 16 and 17, 2008, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation convened a forum of researchers and practitioners working on the issue of childhood obesity to discuss the issues related to surveillance, screening, and reporting of children's BMI. Because obesity has become a major concern of the foundation, it seemed essential to understand the use and limitations of the BMI measurement on which the diagnosis of obesity depended. The goals of the meeting were to gather and review experience in the collection of BMI data and to understand how to communicate BMI results to parents. In addition, the group explored cultural differences in how the BMI was interpreted, and considered the legal and confidentiality implications of collecting and reporting BMI data. Because of the ease and reliability of measures of height and weight that are used to calculate BMI, BMI is the recommended measure for the identification of overweight and obesity. Obesity in children and adolescents, defined as a BMI at ≥95th percentile for age and gender, provides a useful measure of risk of metabolic complications and persistence. Furthermore, weight increases above the 95th percentile almost always reflect increases in body fatness. Overweight, defined as a BMI between the 85th and 95th percentiles for age and gender, is associated with a lower risk of metabolic … Address correspondence to William H. Dietz, MD, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, Mailstop K-24, Atlanta, GA 30341-3717. E-mail: wcd4{at}cdc.gov