Body shape in children and adolescents

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With the epidemic of obesity, there has been concern about assessment of adiposity and different deposits of fat which may lead to different body shapes. Frequently, we think of body mass index (BMI) as the best way to characterize the development of obesity in the clinical setting. However, BMI is not a perfect measure of adiposity and may be imprecise. In this issue of The Journal, Lebiedowska et al report on the development of a human body shape index based on normal age related changes in body shape in boys and girls. They found that this index had less inherent variability and was less influenced by growth than other widely used indices. It remains to be determined what method will be best to determine obesity in children in the clinical setting. The method chosen must be easily usable by primary care pediatricians in a busy clinical practice.