Growth

If we get more energy than we need, our body saves the energy by making fat tissue. We need some fat tissue to keep us warm and also to have a healthy nervous system. Fat tissue also allows our body to store energy, just in case we need it next month or next year. If we don’t get enough energy from our food, our body breaks down fat tissue so that it can use the stored energy.

What is underweight?

If the energy that we use up each day by playing and growing is more than the amount of energy we get from our food, our bodies use up the stored fat tissue. To make sure that our body has not used up too much fat tissue we need to check our growth. We measure growth by seeing how tall we are and how much we weigh. Our nurse, doctor, dentist, dietitian, physiotherapist or our parents can measure us and then put the numbers for our height (e.g 4 feet 6 inches or 140 centimeters) and weight (e.g. 5 stone or 32 kilograms) on a growth chart and see how we compare to other children our age. If our weight is less than the average weight for someone our age we call it ‘underweight’.

What is overweight?

If our body is storing more fat tissue than we need it can cause our weight to increase (go up). We measure our growth by seeing how tall we are and how much we weigh. Our nurse, doctor, dentist, dietitian, physiotherapist or even our parents can then put the numbers for our height (e.g 4 feet 6 inches or 140 centimeters) and weight (e.g. 5 stone or 32 kilograms) on a child’s growth chart and see how we compare to other children our age. If our weight is more than the average weight for someone our age we call it ‘overweight’.

What does obese mean?

Obese is the word used to describe our weight when it is much higher than it should be for someone our age. We can only check whether we are obese by getting our height and weight checked and by putting these numbers into a child’s growth chart. We need to use a growth chart as our height is changing every day.

I’m worried that I might not be a healthy weight?

If you are concerned that you are underweight or overweight you should tell your parents or someone who you trust. Growing up means that our height and weight change every week. Some children can be worried that they are not tall enough, some worry that they are too tall and others worry that they weigh too much or too little. Sometimes we can get upset if other children or adults say things about how we look. If this happens to you, it is important that you tell someone you trust so that they can help. Remember, it is not kind to be mean to others about how they look (the colour of their skin, the type of hair they have or the shape of their body).

If you are worried about your growth, you could ask your parent/s to measure your height and weight. Then he/she can put the numbers into a growth calculator and check what your body mass index is. The body mass index is like a maths calculation. It is used to give a rough idea about whether a child is underweight, overweight or just right for his/her age. Your parent/s could also take you to see your GP so that your doctor can measure your growth. Another option is to go to your local health centre or chemist / pharmacy and use the height measure and scales there!

Ask your parent/s to look at the parent section of this website and you can look at the Healthy and Happy section for some ideas on being as healthy as possible! If your parents are measuring your height and weight, ask them to use the BMI calculator to check what your body mass index is today.