What Is The Average Weight For 15 Year Olds?

Average Weight | Ideal weight chart | BMI | Factors | Guidelines | eating tips | exercising tips

Given the global trend of a decrease in the average age of puberty, it can be safe to assume that your 15-year-old is probably at a late threshold point of teenage growth.

Some 15-year-olds have already experienced most of their growth spurts, while others might still be expecting a late shoot in their height (consequently, weight).

This is an ideal age to begin focusing on maintaining a healthy rate of weight gain in your child.

Read further for a detailed analysis of the average weight for 15 year olds.

What is the average weight for a 15-year-old?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ^[1]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Clinical Growth Charts has compiled charts that list the average weight of people according to their age.

According to this chart, an average 15 year old girl may weigh roughly around 115 pounds, while a 15-year-old boy might weigh 124 pounds.

Ideal weight chart by age/gender

No two teenagers can weigh alike, thanks to the unpredictability of teenage growth spurt patterns.

Nevertheless, there is a high likelihood that your 15-year-old has reached or is very close to the final phases of his or her puberty-driven growth. Given that, it is possible to predict the average weight range for a 15-year-old. That is where clinical growth charts by organizations like the WHO and the CDC come into the picture.

The CDC growth charts might come as a handy guide for any parent wanting to know how much their 15-year-olds should ideally weigh. Remember, no fixed “ideal” number can apply to all 15-year-olds.

Average weight for a 15-year-old boy 

Here is a table ^[2]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 2 to 20 years: Boys Stature Weight-for-age percentiles depicting the weight of a 15-year-old boy:

Range	Weight
Healthy	124 lbs
Underweight	95 lbs
Overweight	160 lbs

Average weight for a 15-year-old girl 

The average weight ^[3]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 2 to 20 years: Girls Stature Weight-for-age percentiles for 15-year-old girls can be:

Range	Weight
Healthy	115 lbs
Underweight	90 lbs
Overweight	151 lbs

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What is body mass index (BMI)?

A slightly better way of evaluating your 15-year-olds overall health would be to calculate their body mass index (BMI) ^[4]National Health Service: What is the body mass index (BMI)?. BMI is a measure that uses your height and weight measurements to estimate the amount of body fat you have.

How to calculate BMI:

The simplest and safest way to calculate your child’s BMI is by using a good BMI calculator for teens ^[5]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Healthy Living Widgets. Enter your child’s height and weight measurements in the right fields, and the BMI calculator does the rest.

Once you calculate your child’s BMI, you can tally the results with the clinical growth charts provided below. This will give you an idea of where your child stands in terms of average weight and BMI for their age.

Is BMI a better indicator of healthy weight?

BMI is a good starting point for understanding your child’s body fat ratio. However, it may not provide a complete picture.

For instance, if your 15-year-old is very muscular or athletic, the BMI results might overestimate the amount of body fat. Your child’s body weight might actually be comprised of healthy muscle mass and not unhealthy fat, but there is no way to tell from the BMI score.

What factors determine a 15-year-old’s weight?

Every child/teen’s weight and rate of increase in weight are both determined by several factors. No analysis of your 15-year-old’s overall health can be complete without taking into consideration the following determining factors:

• Diet
• Genetics
• Age of puberty
• Lifestyle
• Pre-existing medical conditions
• Mental health conditions
• Social and economic factors
• Demographic and cultural factors

Dealing with underweight or overweight 15-year-olds

Firstly, it is important to remember that you cannot jump to easy conclusions when it comes to teenage weight. Nevertheless, if you are absolutely sure that your 15-year-old teen is overweight or underweight, we have a few guidelines below:

Overweight

1. If you think that your child is overweight, you must first analyze what constitutes that weight and what contributes to that weight.
2. Next, consult a doctor, pediatrician, or dietician for their opinion about your child’s weight.
3. Slowly start bringing in some changes in diet. For instance, replace one or two unhealthy foods in their diet with a healthy, low-calorie option.
4. An active lifestyle is non-negotiable. More so if the child is overweight.

Underweight

1. Again, look at the factors that are responsible for the poor rate of growth in your child.
2. Introduce a diet rich in healthy fats and proteins. Proteins are extremely essential at this age since they provide the building blocks for healthy growth.
3. Being lean or underweight is no excuse for being inactive. Regular physical activity is important for more reasons than just weight management.
4. Look for signs of eating disorders like anorexia nervosa or bulimia. Start treatment for these problems immediately.

Healthy eating tips for 15-year-olds

Here are a few simple, healthy-eating tips that you can employ to ensure that your 15-year-old maintains a healthy weight: 

1. Encourage them to eat breakfast every day. Studies ^[6]National Library of Medicine: The impact of breakfast in metabolic and digestive health have demonstrated a link between skipping breakfast and high BMI rates in adolescent populations.
2. Add more healthy protein sources to their diet, such as lean meats, chicken, fish, tofu, etc.
3. Make sure they’re eating enough fruits and vegetables.
4. Replace at least one unhealthy snack in their regular diet with a healthy one. A slice of fruit, a stick of celery, or a handful of nuts can make great replacement snacks.
5. Keep them hydrated, but limit sugary drinks.
6. Avoid all processed foods.

Healthy exercising tips for 15-year-olds

The Centres for  Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that all children and teenagers aged 6 to 17 years should get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity. Here are a few easy fitness tips for teenagers to help your 15-year-old get his or her daily recommended dose of physical activity:

1. Find an activity that they enjoy and make it part of their daily routine. The daily 60 minutes do not need to be boring physical training. Dance, swimming, team games with friends, and hiking are great options to keep teenagers active and excited.
2. It is difficult to separate teens from their TV, mobile, and computer screens. However, it is not impossible to utilize screen time for fitness.
3. Start a family fitness challenge. This will help the entire family become more active and make physical activity a fun bonding experience for everyone.
4. Encourage your teenager to have friends. Having a good and healthy friends circle can keep them mentally and physically engaged. It can also imply a lot of team sports and games in the evenings and over the weekends.
5. Lastly, ensure that your teenage kid gets ample rest.

Conclusion

15-year-olds are at just the right point in their teenage life to start focusing seriously on maintaining a healthy rate of weight growth.

Make the best of this point in your teenage child’s life and introduce them to healthy eating, active lifestyle, and exercise habits. Doing so now will set them up for a lifetime of good mental, physical and emotional health.