GUIDELINES FOR OVERWEIGHT IN ADOLESCENT PREVENTIVE SERVICES - RECOMMENDATIONS FROM AN EXPERT COMMITTEE

An expert committee was convened to determine specific criteria for ov erweight to be integrated into routine preventive screening of adolesc ents. Body mass index (BMI) should be used routinely to screen for ove rweight adolescents. Youths with BMIs greater than or equal to 95th pe rcentile for age and sex, or > 30 (in kg/m(2)) should be considered ov erweight and referred for in-depth medical follow-up to determine unde rlying diagnoses. Adolescents with BMIs greater than or equal to 85th percentile but < 95th percentile or less than or equal to 30, should b e considered at risk of overweight, and should be referred to a second -level screen. The second-level screen includes family history, blood pressure, total cholesterol, large prior increment in BMI, and concern about weight. If youths are positive for any of the items on the seco nd-level screen they should be referred for further medical assessment .