Catherine Holecko, Family Fitness Expert, writes: you may look at your kids and think, “He’s strong and sturdy,” or “She’s still got a bit of baby fat.” But check again; that baby fat could have big consequences for her health. Child obesity can leave kids at risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, and even depression.At regular check-ups, your child’s doctor should check his height and weight and calculate his body-mass index, or BMI (see an online calculator that helps you check against thresholds for child obesity).

• A child is considered overweight if her BMI is at or above the 85th percentile (but below the 95th percentile).

Because kids’ growth patterns are different from adults, a child’s BMI can’t be directly compared to an adult’s. Special BMI-for-age charts help doctors know which kids are at risk. So do growth patterns over time, and so does questions doctors may ask about diet and fitness, such as:

• How often do you eat out? Do you eat fast food?
• How often do you drink soda, fruit juice, or other sweet beverages?
• Do you eat breakfast? What do you eat?
• How many servings of fruits and vegetables do you eat each day?
• How much time each day do you spend doing physical activities? Do you have a safe place to play outside?
• How about sedentary activities, such as watching TV or playing video games?

If the BMI, the lifestyle questions, and/or family medical history raise a red flag, the doctor may order follow-up lab tests, such as a lipid profile (which checks the level of cholesterol in the blood), and recommend lifestyle changes for the whole family or other treatments.