Weight and height percentile charts are used to track growth rates and overall health in children and young adults up to age 20. Doctors use the charts to compare a child’s growth to others in their age group and make recommendations for care, diet, and exercise. The charts are divided into two different age groups and are based on weight, height, head circumference, and BMI. The information collected helps doctors notice patterns in a child’s growth and make recommendations accordingly. The charts are not used for people over 20 years old.
A weight and height percentile is a method for comparing children and young adults up to age 20 with others in their age group. This is done for the purpose of tracking growth rates and helping to indicate overall health. It also allows doctors to notice patterns in the child’s growth; for example, if he or she was growing normally for a while and then suddenly stops. There are two different weight and height percentile charts used to track this data. The first is for children up to three years old and a second graph is for children aged two to twenty. The overlay helps ensure that the data is complete.
The information collected for the weight and height percentile charts is relatively straightforward. In addition to the weight and height measurements required at each doctor’s visit, the doctor will also measure the circumference of the head in children up to three years of age. Body Mass Index, or BMI, is also included in the measurements, although this is simply calculated using your height and weight. The doctor then takes this information and looks at the weight and height percentile graph to determine where the child falls relative to other children his or her age for each measurement.
A child in the 50th percentile, for example, may be considered exactly average compared to other children. A child in the 70th percentile for height, for example, is taller than 70 percent of other children his age. This type of information can be extrapolated for each measurement to see where the child falls relative to the others. There are different weight and height percentile charts used for male and female children, as their predicted growth rates can be very different, particularly in adolescence.
Based on this information and demonstrated growth rates monitored over time, a doctor will be able to make recommendations for your child’s care, regular diet, and amount of exercise. If you experience sudden changes in growth, your doctor will be able to keep track of this information and be able to better determine why this is happening. This information ceases at age 20 because most people have stopped growing at this point. While there are height and weight comparison charts for adults, which provide average information based on body type and can provide general guidelines for fitness goals; however, no percentile information is available for people older than 20 years.
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