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QuickStats: Prevalence of Obesity* and Severe Obesity† Among Persons Aged 2–19 Years — United States, 1999–2000 Through 2021–2023§
Weekly / October 17, 2024 / 73(41);936
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Abbreviation: BMI = body mass index.
* Obesity was defined as BMI ≥95th percentile for age and sex on CDC growth charts (https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/cdc_charts.htm). BMI is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.
† Severe obesity was defined as BMI ≥120% of the 95th percentile for age and sex on CDC growth charts.
§ After National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey operations were suspended in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, field operations resumed from August 2021 until August 2023.
From 1999–2000 through August 2021–August 2023, the prevalence of obesity among persons in the United States aged 2–19 years increased from 13.9% to 21.1%, and the prevalence of severe obesity increased from 3.6% to 7.0%.
Supplementary Table: https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/164014
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2000 through August 2021–August 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/index.htm
Reported by: Samuel D. Emmerich, DVM, semmerich@cdc.gov; Cynthia L. Ogden, PhD.
For more information on this topic, CDC recommends the following link: https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/family-action/index.html.
Suggested citation for this article: QuickStats: Prevalence of Obesity and Severe Obesity Among Persons Aged 2–19 Years — United States, 1999–2000 Through 2021–2023. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2024;73:936. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7341a5.
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