How do we define childhood obesity?

For children and adolescents (aged 2–19 years), the BMI value is plotted on the CDC growth charts to determine the corresponding BMI-for-age percentile.

• Overweight is defined as a BMI at or above the 85th percentile and lower than the 95th percentile.
• Obesity is defined as a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "Use of BMI to Screen for Overweight and Obesity in Children"