Resumo

KAUFER-HORWITZ, Martha  e  TOUSSAINT, Georgina. Anthropometric indexes to evaluate pediatric overweight and obesity. Bol. Med. Hosp. Infant. Mex. [online]. 2008, vol.65, n.6, pp.502-518. ISSN 1665-1146.

Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents are public health problems in developed and developing countries. Its presence at such an early age is a risk factor for obesity and coronary risk in adulthood, hence the importance of prevention, detection and treatment on time. In order to diagnose overweight and obesity, anthropometric indicators linked to adiposity are needed. The body mass index (BMI) has proven useful for the evaluation of obesity in adults and more recently it has been recommended for the assessment of children and adolescents. Different groups of experts and international agencies including the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the USA and the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) from the World Health Organization have proposed BMI reference standards for international use. In this review article, the standards of reference are presented and discussed. There seems to be consensus that the different international criteria currently available are useful and can be used interchangeably in the assessment of overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence; however, data must be interpreted with caution and the possible advantages and limitations of each criterion must be considered.

Palavras-chave : Obesity; weight gain; overweight; anthropometry; body mass index; child; adolescence.

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