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httk (version 2.5.0)

get_weight_class: Assign weight class (underweight, normal, overweight, obese)

Description

Given vectors of age, BMI, recumbent length, weight, and gender, categorizes weight classes using CDC and WHO categories.

Usage

get_weight_class(age_years, age_months, bmi, recumlen, weight, gender)

Value

A character vector of weight classes. Each element will be one of 'Underweight', 'Normal', 'Overweight', or 'Obese'.

Arguments

age_years

A vector of ages in years.

age_months

A vector of ages in months.

bmi

A vector of BMIs.

recumlen

A vector of heights or recumbent lengths in cm.

weight

A vector of body weights in kg.

gender

A vector of genders (as 'Male' or 'Female').

Author

Caroline Ring

Details

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (https://www.cdc.gov/disability-and-health/conditions/obesity.html), adult weight classes are defined using body mass index (BMI) as follows:

Underweight

BMI less than 18.5

Normal

BMI between 18.5 and 25

Overweight

BMI between 25 and 30

Obese

BMI greater than 30

For children ages 2 years and older, weight classes are defined using percentiles of sex-specific BMI for age, as follows (Barlow et al., 2007):

Underweight

Below 5th percentile BMI for age

Normal

5th-85th percentile BMI for age

Overweight

85th-95th percentile BMI for age

Obese

Above 95th percentile BMI for age

For children birth to age 2, weight classes are defined using percentiles of sex-specific weight-for-length (Grummer-Strawn et al., 2009). Weight above the 97.7th percentile, or below the 2.3rd percentile, of weight-for-length is considered potentially indicative of adverse health conditions. Here, weight below the 2.3rd percentile is categorized as "Underweight" and weight above the 97.7th percentile is categorized as "Obese."

References

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Barlow SE. Expert committee recommendations regarding the prevention, assessment, and treatment of child and adolescent overweight and obesity: summary report. Pediatrics. 2007;120 Suppl 4. doi:10.1542/peds.2007-2329C

Grummer-Strawn LM, Reinold C, Krebs NF. Use of World Health Organization and CDC growth charts for children Aged 0-59 months in the United States. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009;59(RR-9). https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5909a1.htm