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

(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.
BOYS Body Weight (kg) Below the reference weight Body Weight (kg) Above the reference weight
Child's Height (cm) Underweight Overweight
75 7.5 11.3
77 7.9 11.8
79 8.2 12.3
81 8.6 12.9
83 8.9 13.4
85 9.3 13.9
87 9.6 14.4
89 10.0 15.0
91 10.3 15.5
93 10.7 16.1
95 11.1 16.6
97 11.5 17.2
99 11.9 17.8
101 12.3 18.4
103 12.7 19.1
105 13.2 19.7
107 13.6 20.4
109 14.1 21.2
111 14.6 21.9
113 15.2 22.8
115 15.7 23.6
117 16.3 24.5
119 17.0 25.5
121 17.6 26.5
123 18.4 27.5
125 19.1 28.6
127 19.9 29.8
129 20.7 31
131 21.6 32.3

Example:

  1. A boy 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 boy of 91 cm tall, having a body weight less than 10.3 kg is underweight, more than 15.5 kg is overweight.
  4. Since the boy weighs 13.5 kg, he 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