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Nearly one in five young people in the United States are obese, and proportionally more adolescents have been obese during every time period measured since 1994, according to an analysis published online June 7 in JAMA.
But the most recent data suggest only a “small” rise in adolescent obesity since 2011, and stable rates among children during this time period, said Cynthia L. Ogden, Ph.D., of the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Few studies of obesity in young people have teased out rates by age, according to Dr. Ogden and her associates. Using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, they calculated rates of obesity and extreme obesity among 40,780 children and adolescents aged 2-19 years for the periods 1988-1994 through 2013-2014. They defined obesity as a body mass index (BMI) at or above the sex-specific 95th percentile on the CDC BMI-for-age growth charts, and they defined extreme obesity as a BMI at least 120% of the sex-specific 95th percentile on the charts (JAMA. 2016 Jun 7. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.6361).
Based on these definitions, 17% of children and adolescents were obese between 2011 and 2014, while 6% were extremely obese, the investigators reported. Furthermore, 21% of adolescents were obese in 2013-2014, compared with 17% during 2003-2004 and 11% during 1988-1994.
Rates for 6- to -11-year-olds have remained fairly stable in the high teens for more than a decade, while rates among 2- to 5-year-olds peaked in 2003-2004 at nearly 14% before dropping to about 9% during 2013-2014. The prevalence of obesity varied little by sex, but diverged substantially by race and ethnicity. For example, in 2011-2014, 23% of Hispanics and about 23% of black children were obese, and 9% and 12% were extremely obese, respectively the researchers reported. Rates for the same ages of non-Hispanic Asian children were 9% and 2%, respectively, and those for non-Hispanic whites were 20% and 7%, respectively.
“Body mass index is an imperfect measure of body fat and health risk,” the investigators cautioned. “There are racial and ethnic differences in body fat at the same BMI level. Among children and adolescents, the definition of obesity is statistical. Children and adolescents are compared with a group of U.S. children in the 1960s to early 1990s, so the prevalence of obesity is dependent on the characteristics of the age-specific population during that period. In addition, among young children, small changes in weight can lead to relatively large changes in BMI percentile”
The researchers reported no funding sources and had no disclosures.
Numerous foundations, industries, professional societies, and governmental agencies have provided hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to support basic science research in obesity, clinical trials, and observational studies, development of new drugs and devices, and hospital and community programs to help stem the tide of the obesity epidemic. In addition, communities, schools, places of worship, and professional societies have become active in attempting to counteract obesity – emphasizing exercise, better dietary choices, and nutritional labeling of foods.
Although it is impossible to know what the extent of the obesity epidemic would have been without these efforts, [these data] certainly do not suggest much success. Perhaps new incentives are needed to encourage the food industry to work with families and the medical community to prevent obesity. The stakes for the health of people in the United States are high, and creative solutions are needed.
Dr. Jody W. Zylke is deputy editor of JAMA. Dr. Howard Bauchner is editor in chief of JAMA. These comments are excerpted from their accompanying editorial (JAMA. 2016 Jun. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.6190).
Numerous foundations, industries, professional societies, and governmental agencies have provided hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to support basic science research in obesity, clinical trials, and observational studies, development of new drugs and devices, and hospital and community programs to help stem the tide of the obesity epidemic. In addition, communities, schools, places of worship, and professional societies have become active in attempting to counteract obesity – emphasizing exercise, better dietary choices, and nutritional labeling of foods.
Although it is impossible to know what the extent of the obesity epidemic would have been without these efforts, [these data] certainly do not suggest much success. Perhaps new incentives are needed to encourage the food industry to work with families and the medical community to prevent obesity. The stakes for the health of people in the United States are high, and creative solutions are needed.
Dr. Jody W. Zylke is deputy editor of JAMA. Dr. Howard Bauchner is editor in chief of JAMA. These comments are excerpted from their accompanying editorial (JAMA. 2016 Jun. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.6190).
Numerous foundations, industries, professional societies, and governmental agencies have provided hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to support basic science research in obesity, clinical trials, and observational studies, development of new drugs and devices, and hospital and community programs to help stem the tide of the obesity epidemic. In addition, communities, schools, places of worship, and professional societies have become active in attempting to counteract obesity – emphasizing exercise, better dietary choices, and nutritional labeling of foods.
Although it is impossible to know what the extent of the obesity epidemic would have been without these efforts, [these data] certainly do not suggest much success. Perhaps new incentives are needed to encourage the food industry to work with families and the medical community to prevent obesity. The stakes for the health of people in the United States are high, and creative solutions are needed.
Dr. Jody W. Zylke is deputy editor of JAMA. Dr. Howard Bauchner is editor in chief of JAMA. These comments are excerpted from their accompanying editorial (JAMA. 2016 Jun. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.6190).
Nearly one in five young people in the United States are obese, and proportionally more adolescents have been obese during every time period measured since 1994, according to an analysis published online June 7 in JAMA.
But the most recent data suggest only a “small” rise in adolescent obesity since 2011, and stable rates among children during this time period, said Cynthia L. Ogden, Ph.D., of the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Few studies of obesity in young people have teased out rates by age, according to Dr. Ogden and her associates. Using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, they calculated rates of obesity and extreme obesity among 40,780 children and adolescents aged 2-19 years for the periods 1988-1994 through 2013-2014. They defined obesity as a body mass index (BMI) at or above the sex-specific 95th percentile on the CDC BMI-for-age growth charts, and they defined extreme obesity as a BMI at least 120% of the sex-specific 95th percentile on the charts (JAMA. 2016 Jun 7. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.6361).
Based on these definitions, 17% of children and adolescents were obese between 2011 and 2014, while 6% were extremely obese, the investigators reported. Furthermore, 21% of adolescents were obese in 2013-2014, compared with 17% during 2003-2004 and 11% during 1988-1994.
Rates for 6- to -11-year-olds have remained fairly stable in the high teens for more than a decade, while rates among 2- to 5-year-olds peaked in 2003-2004 at nearly 14% before dropping to about 9% during 2013-2014. The prevalence of obesity varied little by sex, but diverged substantially by race and ethnicity. For example, in 2011-2014, 23% of Hispanics and about 23% of black children were obese, and 9% and 12% were extremely obese, respectively the researchers reported. Rates for the same ages of non-Hispanic Asian children were 9% and 2%, respectively, and those for non-Hispanic whites were 20% and 7%, respectively.
“Body mass index is an imperfect measure of body fat and health risk,” the investigators cautioned. “There are racial and ethnic differences in body fat at the same BMI level. Among children and adolescents, the definition of obesity is statistical. Children and adolescents are compared with a group of U.S. children in the 1960s to early 1990s, so the prevalence of obesity is dependent on the characteristics of the age-specific population during that period. In addition, among young children, small changes in weight can lead to relatively large changes in BMI percentile”
The researchers reported no funding sources and had no disclosures.
Nearly one in five young people in the United States are obese, and proportionally more adolescents have been obese during every time period measured since 1994, according to an analysis published online June 7 in JAMA.
But the most recent data suggest only a “small” rise in adolescent obesity since 2011, and stable rates among children during this time period, said Cynthia L. Ogden, Ph.D., of the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Few studies of obesity in young people have teased out rates by age, according to Dr. Ogden and her associates. Using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, they calculated rates of obesity and extreme obesity among 40,780 children and adolescents aged 2-19 years for the periods 1988-1994 through 2013-2014. They defined obesity as a body mass index (BMI) at or above the sex-specific 95th percentile on the CDC BMI-for-age growth charts, and they defined extreme obesity as a BMI at least 120% of the sex-specific 95th percentile on the charts (JAMA. 2016 Jun 7. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.6361).
Based on these definitions, 17% of children and adolescents were obese between 2011 and 2014, while 6% were extremely obese, the investigators reported. Furthermore, 21% of adolescents were obese in 2013-2014, compared with 17% during 2003-2004 and 11% during 1988-1994.
Rates for 6- to -11-year-olds have remained fairly stable in the high teens for more than a decade, while rates among 2- to 5-year-olds peaked in 2003-2004 at nearly 14% before dropping to about 9% during 2013-2014. The prevalence of obesity varied little by sex, but diverged substantially by race and ethnicity. For example, in 2011-2014, 23% of Hispanics and about 23% of black children were obese, and 9% and 12% were extremely obese, respectively the researchers reported. Rates for the same ages of non-Hispanic Asian children were 9% and 2%, respectively, and those for non-Hispanic whites were 20% and 7%, respectively.
“Body mass index is an imperfect measure of body fat and health risk,” the investigators cautioned. “There are racial and ethnic differences in body fat at the same BMI level. Among children and adolescents, the definition of obesity is statistical. Children and adolescents are compared with a group of U.S. children in the 1960s to early 1990s, so the prevalence of obesity is dependent on the characteristics of the age-specific population during that period. In addition, among young children, small changes in weight can lead to relatively large changes in BMI percentile”
The researchers reported no funding sources and had no disclosures.
FROM JAMA
Key clinical point:Nearly one in five children and adolescents are obese, and rates of adolescent obesity have risen during every time period measured since 1994.
Major finding: About 17% of children and adolescents in the United States were obese between 2011 and 2014 (95% confidence interval, 15.5%-18.6%). Nearly 21% of adolescents were obese in 2013-2014, compared with 17% during 2003-2004 and 10% during 1988-1994.
Data source: An analysis of the body mass indexes of 40,780 individuals aged 2-19 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Disclosures: The researchers reported no funding sources and had no disclosures.
