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Many children in India are at risk of either being stunted and underweight, or conversely, of being obese. The fundamental cause in either case is a lack of proper nutrition. Parents who are concerned about their children’s growth can check their children’s height and weight against standardized growth charts, or use the growth chart calculator on this page.
To be meaningful, growth charts need to be based on specific populations. For example, when it comes to height and weight, children in Norway differ from children in Vietnam, so using growth charts in Vietnam based on a Norwegian population would be incorrect. The growth chart calculator on this page is based on data collected from Indian children by the Indian Academy of Pediatrics.
The three indicators in the calculator are height-for-age, weight-for-age and Body Mass Index (BMI). Height- and weight-for-age are simply indicators of how a particular child’s height and weight compare to the population for the age and sex of the child. BMI is used as an indicator of whether a person is overweight or obese. It is calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by the square of the height in meters. However, for children and teens, BMI cannot be used directly because it keeps changing due to their normal growth. Therefore, an individual child’s BMI must be compared against that of other children of the same age and sex in the population. This is known as BMI-for-age.
The growth chart calculator provides BMI and BMI-for-age, height-for-age and weight-for-age guidance based on the standards for Indian children who are 5-18 years in age established by the Indian Academy of Pediatricians. It is possible for a child to be of normal weight and normal height and yet have a BMI that indicates being overweight or obese. Please speak to a doctor if this is the case.
Your child must be at least 5 years old in order to use this calculator. Please enter weight in kilograms and height in centimeters. For children under 5, the IAP recommends using the WHO standard charts for boys and girls. Sign up for FamiLife’s newsletter and we will let you know when we add a calculator for children under 5.
If you would like to embed this Growth Chart Calculator in your Web site please contact info@a-sk.com.