Health - Obesity
Obesity refers to having a high body weight compared to height, often represented as body mass index or BMI. Having obesity is linked to a greater chance of having health problems.
On this page:
Indicators
H10: Children who were obese
Web update: 2022
- In 2015-2016, 18% of children ages 2 to 17 years were identified as obese. This is an increase compared to 5% of children reported in 1976-1980. However, the rate of childhood obesity has been relatively steady since the early 2000s.
Data Characterization
Data for this indicator are obtained from an ongoing continuous survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics.
Survey data are representative of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population.
Height and weight are measured in individual survey participants.
H11: Children who were obese, by race/ethnicity and family income
Web update: 2022
Key Information
- In 2013-2016, 24% of Mexican-American children were obese, 21% of Black non-Hispanic children were obese, and 14% of White non-Hispanic children were obese, compared to 18% of children overall.
- Among children overall, the prevalence of obesity was greater in children with family incomes below the poverty level than in those above the poverty level.
Data Characterization
Data for this indicator are obtained from an ongoing continuous survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics.
Survey data are representative of the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population.
Height and weight are measured in individual survey participants.
About the Obesity Indicators
Obesity has rapidly become a serious public health concern in the United States and is associated with several adverse health effects in childhood and later in life, including cardiovascular disease risk factors, cancer, psychological stress, asthma, and diabetes.
Increased food intake and reduced physical activity are likely the major drivers of obesity in children. Researchers are also investigating whether exposures to certain environmental chemicals, including endocrine disrupting chemicals, may play a contributing role in childhood obesity. In addition, multiple reviews of the literature have concluded that several properties of the built environment may be associated with overweight and obesity and/or levels of physical activity in children.
For historical and contextual information about obesity and these indicators, see the Obesity section of America's Children and the Environment, Third Edition (pdf) .
Data Sources and Methods - Obesity
The National Center for Health Statistics, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conducts the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), a series of U.S. national surveys of the health and nutrition status of the non-institutionalized civilian population. Interviews and physical examinations are conducted with approximately 10,000 people in each two-year year survey cycle. Height and weight are measured for survey participants of all ages.
Indicator H10 uses the NHANES data to present the percentage of children ages 2 to 17 years who were obese. Indicator H11 uses the NHANES data to present the percentage of children ages 2 to 17 years who were obese, stratified by race/ethnicity and family income. Body mass index (BMI) is calculated as an individual's weight in kilograms divided by the square of his or her height in meters. The BMI number is compared with an age- and sex-specific reference population based on the 2000 CDC growth charts. Children and teenagers with BMIs at or above the 95th percentile on the growth charts are classified as obese.
- Detailed Methods for Indicators H10 and H11 (pdf)
- Metadata for National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES)
Related Links
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): About BMI for Children and Teens
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Overweight and Obesity
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance - United States, 2011
- Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health: Obesity and Overweight
- National Institutes of Health (NIH): Strategic Plan for NIH Obesity Research
- National Toxicology Program (NTP): Role of Environmental Chemicals in the Development of Diabetes and Obesity