MTM Pediatric Obesity Practice Test

Central adiposity in youth is important because where fat is stored—around the abdomen—closely relates to metabolic risk, often beyond what total body fat shows. Waist circumference percentiles, adjusted for age and sex, along with waist-to-height ratio, provide practical measures of abdominal fat and help identify youth at higher risk for insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and other metabolic issues. BMI percentile tells you about overall fatness but not fat distribution, so relying on BMI alone can miss meaningful central adiposity.

Therefore, using waist circumference percentiles (and waist-to-height ratio) to assess central adiposity and metabolic risk is the best approach. Central adiposity is relevant in youth; BMI percentile alone doesn’t capture distribution, and waist circumference doesn’t replace BMI entirely since both measures offer complementary information about risk.