How Can I Find Out if My Child is Overweight or Underweight? (GIRLS)

(Content revised 04/2015)

Method:

  1. Measure your child's weight (in kg) and height (in cm);
  2. Find the height closest to your child's height from the height column;
  3. Check the reference weights for 'overweight' and 'underweight' across the same row;
  4. Compare your child's weight with the reference weights.
GIRLS Body Weight (kg) Below the reference weight Body Weight (kg) Above the reference weight
Child's Height (cm) Underweight Overweight
75 7.3 11.0
77 7.7 11.6
79 8.1 12.2
81 8.5 12.7
83 8.9 13.3
85 9.2 13.9
87 9.6 14.4
89 10.0 15.0
91 10.3 15.5
93 10.7 16.0
95 11.0 16.5
97 11.4 17.1
99 11.8 17.6
101 12.1 18.2
103 12.5 18.8
105 12.9 19.4
107 13.3 20.0
109 13.8 20.7
111 14.2 21.3
113 14.7 22.1
115 15.3 22.9
117 15.8 23.7
119 16.4 24.7
121 17.1 25.7
123 17.8 26.7
125 18.6 27.9
127 19.4 29.1
129 20.2 30.4
131 21.2 31.7

Example:

  1. A girl measures 91cm in height and 13.5kg in weight.
  2. Find 91cm on the "Child's Height" column.
  3. Find the reference weights on the same row. For a girl of 91cm tall, having a body weight less than 10.3 kg is underweight, more than 15.5 kg is overweight.
  4. Since the girl weighs 13.5 kg, she is of normal weight.

Source of information: Leung SSF, Lau JTF, Tse LY, Oppenheimer SJ. Weight-for-age and weight-for-height reference for Hong Kong children from birth to 18 years. J Paediatr. Child Health 1996; 32.103-109

Underweight is defined as having a weight below 80% median weight for height, overweight is having a body weight above 120% median weight for height