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The prevalence of obesity was 19.3% and affected about 14.4 million children and adolescents. Obesity prevalence was 13.4% among 2- to 5-year-olds, 20.3% among 6- to 11-year-olds, and 21.2% among 12- to 19-year-olds.
In the United States, 68.5% of adults are overweight or obese, with 34.9% of those obese. For children in the United States, 31.8% of youth 2–19 years of age are overweight, with 16.9% of those obese.
While we have seen progress among preschool age children, we continue to face an enormous challenge: Approximately 17 percent of U.S. youth have obesity, and nearly one in three children and adolescents are either overweight or have obesity. No one is immune to the risk of growing up at an unhealthy weight.
39 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2020. Over 340 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 were overweight or obese in 2016. Obesity is preventable.
Overall, the rate of childhood obesity has more than tripled over the last four decades—rising from 5 percent in 1978 to 18.5 percent in 2016.
“The percentage of children aged 6-11 in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 t0 18% in 2012.” Obese adolescents who’s ages range from 12-19 increased from 5% to nearly 21% in 32 years. Over one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese in 2012.
Obesity often begins in childhood and is linked to psychological problems, asthma, diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors in childhood. Because many obese children grow up to become obese adults, childhood obesity is strongly linked to mortality and morbidity in adulthood (Reilly et al., 2003).
Lifestyle issues — too little activity and too many calories from food and drinks — are the main contributors to childhood obesity. But genetic and hormonal factors might play a role as well.
Children are considered obese when their body mass index, a measure of weight in relation to height, exceeds that of 95 percent of their peers of the same age and sex. Overall, obesity rates increased from 14.5 percent in the 1999-2000 survey to 17.3 percent in 2011-2012.
Global Rank | Country | % of Adult Population That Is Obese |
---|---|---|
1 | Nauru | 61.0% |
2 | Cook Islands | 55.9% |
3 | Palau | 55.3% |
4 | Marshall Islands | 52.9% |
The U.S. adult obesity rate stands at 42.4 percent, the first time the national rate has passed the 40 percent mark, and further evidence of the country’s obesity crisis. The national adult obesity rate has increased by 26 percent since 2008.
Pediatric obesity is now of epidemic proportions in the United States. Pediatric overweight and obesity now affects more than 30 percent of children, making it the most common chronic disease of childhood.
Terms in this set (48) The percentage of children aged 6-11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2010. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12-19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period.
# | Country | % obesity |
---|---|---|
1 | Nauru | 59.85 |
2 | American Samoa | 58.75 |
3 | Cook Islands | 53.97 |
4 | Palau | 53.15 |
According to the findings, the obesity epidemic spread rapidly during the 1990s across all states, regions, and demographic groups in the United States. Obesity (defined as being over 30 percent above ideal body weight) in the population increased from 12 percent in 1991 to 17.9 percent in 1998.
Obesity most commonly begins between the ages of 5 and 6, or during adolescence. Studies have shown that a child who is obese between the ages of 10 and 13 has an 80 percent chance of becoming an obese adult.
Overeating can lead to weight gain. Children who are overweight or obese are at risk for serious health problems as they get older, including: Heart disease. Diabetes.
The prevalence of child obesity in the U.S. was stable through the 1960s and 1970s, then began to rise in the 1980s. There were no national surveys of child obesity before 1963. There is disagreement about whether the obesity epidemic is entirely a recent phenomenon or a continuation of earlier trends.
The two most commonly advanced reasons for the increase in the prevalence of obesity are certain food marketing practices and institutionally-driven reductions in physical activity, which we have taken to calling “the big two.” Elements of the big two include, but are not limited to, the “built environment”, increased …
Childhood obesity is mainly associated with unhealthy eating and low levels of physical activity, but the problem is linked not only to children’s behaviour but also, increasingly, to social and economic development and policies in the areas of agriculture, transport, urban planning, the environment, food processing, …
Learn more about Hawaii. The Centennial State has the lowest obesity rate in the nation, and it also ranks highly for public health metrics such as low mortality and infant mortality rates, according to data used in the U.S. News 2021 Best States rankings. Learn more about Colorado.
Fattest Cities in America | |
---|---|
1. McAllen, TX | 11. Chattanooga, TN |
2. Memphis, TN | 12. Tulsa, OK |
3. Baton Rouge, LA | 13. Augusta, GA |
4. Little Rock, AR | 14. Greenville, SC |
Country | Rank | Obesity rate % (2021) |
---|---|---|
Kiribati | 9 | 46.00 |
Federated States of Micronesia | 10 | 45.80 |
Kuwait | 11 | 37.90 |
United States | 12 | 36.20 |