At what age should routine obesity screening begin in most pediatric guidelines?

• A. At birth.
• B. At age 2 during well-child visits, with BMI plotted on growth charts.
• C. At age 5.
• D. At age 10.

Answer: (B)

Starting at age 2 during routine well-child visits, obesity screening uses body mass index plotted on age- and sex-specific growth charts to determine where a child falls on the percentile scale. BMI percentiles let us interpret weight status for kids because their bodies change a lot as they grow, so a fixed adult threshold wouldn’t apply. Plotting BMI on growth charts provides a clear, standardized way to identify healthy weight, overweight, or obesity and to monitor changes over time. Beginning at age 2 fits with how pediatric care is structured and allows early detection and guidance before adolescence. BMI in infants isn’t interpreted the same way, so starting earlier isn’t appropriate, and starting later would miss opportunities for early intervention.