What factors affect Body Mass Index (BMI) in a pediatric population?
Growth and development patterns influence BMI. Because height and weight seldom increase at the same rate, a single BMI measurement will not necessarily reflect a childs overall, long-term body composition. The rate of sexual maturation is correlated with BMI. While most school-aged children are not developing sexually, some are. BMI is not able to account for this; thus some children are erroneously labeled obese, while the obesity of other children is ignored. Sex has an influence on BMIBMI seems to be a better predictor of obesity in girls than in boys. The influence of race on BMI (e.g., differences in body composition between blacks and whites) should not be ignored. BMI does not take fat distribution into account. Abdominal obesity is associated with more risk factors than trunkal obesity, but no differentiation between the two is made by BMI.
