TeenHealthFX - Answers - Cousin Has BMI of 36.2 and Is Only 13

Body Weight - What's Normal? / Question
Published: September 29, 2009

Dear TeenHealthFX,

I my cousin has a bmi of 36.2 and is thirteen years old. He is having really bad issues. Is that bmi bad? what can he do to help himself. Hes getting to be really emotional and i want to help!!

Signed: Cousin Has BMI of 36.2 and Is Only 13

Dear Cousin Has BMI of 36.2 and Is Only 13,

TeenHealthFX can appreciate your concern about your cousin’s weight. In calculating his BMI (Body Mass Index) using his height, weight, age and gender, you figured out that your cousin has a BMI of 36.2. That places your cousin above the 99^th percentile for boys 13 years old. This means that your cousin’s weight is greater than 99% of 13 year old males. It is possible that in conducting a thorough physical exam of your cousin, a medical health professional might find your cousin to be obese.

Generally, people with a BMI of 25 or higher are considered to be overweight, while people with a BMI of 30 or higher are considered to be obese. As weight increases for a person to reach the levels of being overweight and obese, risks for many physical health conditions also increase. So FX thinks it would be great for you to talk to your cousin and his parents, and encourage them to have him evaluated by his doctor so a plan can be put into place to help him get to a healthier weight.

In talking to your cousin and his parents, FX suggests that you start by stating that you are very concerned about his physical and emotional well-being given his current weight. Let them know that you think it would be very helpful for him to meet with his doctor to get an idea of what changes need to be made to his current diet and exercise regimen that will allow him to safely lose weight.

Health Risks Related To Childhood Obesity:

Next you can educate your cousin and his parents as to the health risks associated with childhood obesity. If they are not already aware of the risks, give them the following information to help them understand why you are so concerned for your cousin. Let them know that obese children and teens may deal with immediate health problems, or they may be at risk for weight-related health problems in adulthood. Childhood obesity may lead to the following problems:

Physical health problems:

· Heart disease that is caused by high cholesterol and/or high blood pressure.

· Type 2 diabetes

· Asthma: disease of the lungs where the airways become blocked or narrowed, and breathing subsequently become difficult

· Sleep apnea: breathing disorder where breathing will stop during sleep for at least 10 seconds

· Hepatic steatosis: fatty degeneration of the liver caused by a high concentration of liver enzymes

· Physical discomfort

Psychosocial and psychological risks:

· Social discrimination by peers and adults

· Low self-esteem

· Depression

· Difficulties functioning in academic and social situations

Additional Risks:

Research has shown that obese children and teens are more likely to become obese as adults. There are many physical and psychological risks overweight and obese adults deal with, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.

What to Do About Childhood Obesity?

One very important point to convey to your cousin and his parents is that any weight loss should be guided and followed by a medical professional. While it is important for an overweight child or teen to lose excessive weight, it is also critical that the loss does not occur in a way that will disrupt the normal growth and development that should occur during childhood and adolescence.

If your cousin doesn't have a doctor and lives in northern New Jersey, he can call the Adolescent/Young Adult Center for Health at 973-971-6475 for an appointment or contact his local teen health center. He can also contact his insurance company for a list of in-network providers.

Some of the things that will be helpful to your cousin will be:

· Taking foods that are high in saturated fat, sugar, and that are highly processed (basically “junk” foods) out of the house and replacing those foods with healthier choices such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grain foods.

· A family meeting to discuss how to make dinners healthier – what kinds of foods need to be purchased from the grocery store, ways to incorporate more vegetables into the meal (if you are going to do a meat, vegetable and carbohydrate meal, ideally meals should be ½ vegetable, ¼ lean protein, and ¼ whole grain carbohydrate), who is going to do the recipe searching and cooking. Your cousin’s family may need to learn new methods of preparing foods, as well as to find healthier recipes. They can go to the US Department of Agriculture webpage MyPyramid.gov to learn steps to eating in a healthier way.

· When eating out, be aware of what kinds of foods are being ordered, how they are prepared and how healthy they are (i.e, ordering something grilled will generally be healthier than ordering fried food).

· Find ways to get active. Think of ways to get in more exercise, such as walking, biking, or swimming. But also think of ways to be generally more active. For example, replacing television time with activities like gardening that will get you up off the couch and moving more. Exercise is important in losing weight and staying fit, but people who maintain healthy weights are also generally more active and have significantly less “couch potato” time than people who are overweight.

Let your cousin and his parents know that there are additional resources to your cousin’s doctor who could also be of help to him with this issue.

· There are nutritionists and physical trainers who are trained to work with these particular kinds of issues. Your cousin’s doctor could probably make some recommendations for him if he is interested.

· There are therapists available to help people whose overeating may be connected to emotional issues. If your cousin lives in northern New Jersey and needs help finding a therapist he can call the Access Center from Atlantic Behavioral Health at 973-247-1400. Outside of this area he can log onto the US Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website for referrals in his area. He can also contact his insurance company to get a list of in-network mental health providers or check with his school social worker or psychologist to get a list of referrals in his area.

· Overeaters Anonymous

· Professionals who provide hypnotherapy for weight loss. Your cousin could check with his doctor or local hospital to find providers.

· If your cousin lives in northern New Jersey, Morristown Memorial Hospital has a program called Kid-FIT designed to help adolescents lose weight and get physically healthier.

You could also give his parents the following as resources to help guide them in being helpful to your cousin in losing weight:

· The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) webpage Tips For Parents – Ideas to Help Children Maintain a Healthy Weight.

· CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) webpage It’s Not A Diet – It’s A Lifestyle which gives information on assessing weight, losing weight, and preventing weight gain.

· National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: We Can!, an educational program to help prevent childhood obesity

· Weight-control Information Network: Active at Any Size

TeenHealthFX thinks that it is very admirable that you want to be of help to your cousin in this way. We certainly hope that your encouragement motivates him to get to a healthier weight.

Signed: TeenHealthFX