Like Mitch, I’ve also wondered about the BMI percentiles used for children. It always sounds weird to hear that 17 percent of children are in the 95th percentile. An updated study of height/weight distributions would be interesting. I would really like to see the way the curve moves over time.
UPDATE 2:40 pm
I forgot to note that the childhood obesity numbers do already take into account difference in height. BMI is a ratio of weight and height. The higher the number, the more a person weighs for their height. The percentiles are what haven’t changed, though trends in childhood development suggest they should be reevaluated.
