Wrong diet and lack of exercise result in life-threatening condition called 'obesity'. Certain genetic factors are also responsible for obesity. Disorders like hypothyroidism can lead to weight gain but mostly, high calorie intake and sedentary lifestyle are held responsible for increasing number of overweight children. Parents should regularly check whether the weight of their child is more than the average child weight by age. Height and weight charts for children are always displayed in the clinics, gyms and schools. It is the duty of the parents to see that after school, their child does not spend most of the time in front of the 'idiot box' or 'computer'. Childhood Obesity A few years before, obesity was limited to adults, mostly over 40. But these days, childhood obesity is a cause of concern in all parts of the world. Obesity is measured by measuring body mass index (BMI, measure of weight in relation to height), waist size and by examining other weight related risk factors like fat distribution (it is different in girls and boys), high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, arthritis in knees/hips, breathing problems, genetic disposition (family history of weight related disease), poor lifestyle (smoking, bad eating habits, wrong diet, lack of exercise), etc. In growing children, fat deposition varies according to gender and age. So while measuring obesity, factors like age, gender, weight, height, genetic factors (including race), have to be taken into consideration. Excess of fat is one of the main characteristic factor of obese children. BMI does not directly help measure body fatness. The BMI Formula BMI = (weight in pounds * 703) / (height in square inches)² A child's BMI not only varies according to height and weight, but also according to age and sex. A CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) chart takes into account all these factors. Plotting the BMI value on CDC growth chart helps find out the corresponding BMI-for-age percentile for kids and adolescents (aged 2 - 19 years). Children with a BMI at or above the 85th percentile and lower than the 95th percentile are said to be overweight. Children with a BMI at, or above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex are said to be obese. Here is an obesity chart for children based on the BMI-for-age percentile. Childhood Obesity Chart

Description	Percentile Range
Obese	Equal to or greater than the 95th percentile
Overweight	85th to less than the 95th percentile
Healthy Weight	5th percentile to less than the 85th percentile
Underweight	Less than the 5th percentile

The following height and weight charts will help you judge whether the child is overweight or not. Height and Weight Charts for Children

Average Height and Weight Chart for Boys Age Average Height (inches) Average Weight (pounds) Newborn 7.16 1 year 28 - 29 22 2 years 31 28.4 3 years 33 33 4 years 37 35 -37 5 years 40 41.8 6 years 42 46.2 7 years 44 50.6 8 years 45 57.2 9 years 49 61.6 10 years 51 70.4 11 years 52 77 12 - 13 years 58 - 62 85 - 100 14 - 15 years 63 - 66 105 - 125 16 - 17 years 67 - 70 130 - 150 18 - 20 years 68 - 70 150 - 160

Average Height and Weight Chart for Girls Age Average Height (inches) Average Weight (pounds) Newborn 7.16 1 year 28 - 29 21.76 2 year 30 28.4 3 year 33 30.8 4 year 37 35.2 5 year 40 39.6 6 year 41 46.2 7 year 43 50.6 8 year 45 57.2 9 year 47 63.8 10 years 51 70.4 11 years 52 79.2 12 - 13 years 60 - 63 95 - 105 14 - 15 years 63 - 64 105 - 115 16 - 17 years 64 115 - 120 18 - 20 years 64 125 - 130

I hope you found the above charts for children, helpful. Fast food and child obesity go hand in hand. Parents should check whether their child eats healthy food, takes part in sports activities and exercises regularly. Increased physical activity and balanced diet can help lower the weight if the child is overweight. Genetic disposition often determines the way your body deposits fat. Hormone imbalance is a common cause of excessive weight gain. For this, you should consult a physician.