Obesity in children: Severity should be based on health issues, not just BMI, say researchers

Gauging the severity of a child’s obesity based only on body mass index (BMI) fails to identify health issues — particularly mental health — of those seeking care, shows a new study with University of Alberta ties.
Researchers showed that using a plan called the Edmonton Obesity Staging System for Pediatrics (EOSS-P) was more useful for understanding health issues of affected children than BMI, which just measures weight against height.
Details of the study, called the Canadian