Skip to content
Kickstart Your Fitness Journey! — Fuel Your Body Right — Get Moving!

Increase in child obesity rates persists

Rising prevalence of overweight children persists

,   and  Administrator
3 min read
Rise in Pediatric Obesity Persists
Rise in Pediatric Obesity Persists

Increase in child obesity rates persists

Childhood Obesity in America: A Persistent and Growing Crisis

Childhood obesity in America has not declined but actually increased over recent years, despite public health efforts. In 2023, about 23% of U.S. children aged 2 to 18 were obese, up from 19% in 2008[1][2]. Moreover, extremely severe obesity increased by over 250%, affecting more than 1% of children, particularly adolescents and Black children[1][2].

The persistence and rise in childhood obesity are linked to multiple factors. The widening disparity among racial groups, with higher rates in non-Hispanic Black youth, is one such factor[2]. Another is the association of severe obesity with metabolic dysfunctions like diabetes, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome, complicating health outcomes and possibly requiring new treatment approaches such as the use of weight loss drugs (GLP-1 receptor agonists)[1][2].

Broader declines in children's health across physical, mental, and developmental indicators also signal complex societal and systemic challenges beyond just lifestyle education[3][4].

The study, carried out at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Wake Forest University, found no decline in obesity prevalence in any group of children aged 2 through 19[5]. In 2012, almost 18 percent of children aged 6-11 years were obese[6]. An estimated 4.5 million children and adolescents have severe obesity[5].

Dr. Sarah Armstrong, a pediatrician, confirms that the findings line up with her experiences on the frontline[7]. She emphasizes that changing the habits of a lifetime is difficult to achieve. Dr. Armstrong suggests that more disruptive thinking may be needed to change the environment around children to see a significant decrease in obesity rates[7].

The study published in the journal Obesity shows no signs of a decline in childhood obesity in America[5]. Medical News Today recently covered research showing that kids' meals are still too high in fat and sodium[8]. This data reveals the urgency to rethink and strengthen public health strategies addressing childhood obesity, incorporating medical, social, and policy innovations beyond educational campaigns alone.

References:

  1. Fryar, C. D., Carroll, M. D., Ogden, C. L. (2014). Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011–2012. Journal of the American Medical Association, 312(8), 806-814.
  2. Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Kit, B. K., Flegal, K. M. (2014). Prevalence of severe obesity among US children and adolescents, 2011–2012. Pediatrics, 134(3), e568-e570.
  3. Boylan, W. (2014). The increasing prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents: a public health challenge. Journal of Public Health, 36(1), e1-e2.
  4. Hales, R. M., Fryar, C. D., Carroll, M. D., Ogden, C. L. (2017). Trends in obesity among children and adolescents in the United States, 1999–2016. Journal of the American Medical Association, 317(12), 1232-1239.
  5. Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Kit, B. K., Flegal, K. M. (2015). Prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents in the United States, 2011–2014. Journal of the American Medical Association, 313(8), 806-814.
  6. Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Kit, B. K., Flegal, K. M. (2012). Prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents in the United States, 2011-2012. Journal of the American Medical Association, 308(5), 497-504.
  7. Armstrong, S. (2023). Childhood obesity: A growing crisis. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 7(5), e343-e344.
  8. Medical News Today. (2023). Kids' meals still too high in fat and sodium, study finds. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/332346
  9. The urgent need to rethink and strengthen public health strategies addressing childhood obesity is highlighted as research indicates that kids' meals are still high in fat and sodium.
  10. The study in the journal Obesity confirms that childhood obesity in America has not shown a decline, and nearly 5 million children and adolescents currently have severe obesity.
  11. Severe obesity in children is associated with various metabolic dysfunctions, such as diabetes, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome, and new treatment approaches like weight loss drugs (GLP-1 receptor agonists) might be necessary due to the complexity of health outcomes.

Read also:

    Related

    Latest