Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of Annals of Internal Medicine, ANNALS-25-00389. https://doi.org/10.7326/ANNALS-25-00389 Dr. Michael Liu et al.
Points
- A comprehensive study analyzed NHANES survey data from 17,507 U.S. children and adolescents between 2011 and August 2023 to assess long-term trends in obesity.
- Researchers found that the overall prevalence of obesity among American youth steadily increased, rising from 20.3 percent before March 2020 to 22.0 percent by August 2023.
- Despite widespread concern, the analysis concluded there was no significant overall increase in childhood obesity prevalence that could be specifically attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic itself.
- The study exposed worsening racial and ethnic disparities over the decade, with obesity prevalence among Black youth increasing most sharply from 22.4 percent to a high of 35.8 percent.
- Current data show that more than one in three Black youth and over a quarter of Hispanic youth now meet the clinical criteria for obesity in the United States.
Summary
A serial cross-sectional analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data was conducted to evaluate obesity trends among U.S. youth from 2011 to August 2023, comparing changes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study included 17,507 participants, comprising children (ages 2 to 11 years) and adolescents (ages 12 to 19 years). Researchers assessed the unadjusted prevalence of obesity and severe obesity overall and stratified the data by age and self-reported race and ethnicity to identify specific population trends.
The overall prevalence of obesity increased from 20.3% in the pre-pandemic period (January 2011–March 2020) to 22.0% during the pandemic-era period (August 2021–August 2023). By the end of this period, notable racial and ethnic disparities had become apparent. The prevalence of obesity was highest among Black youth, increasing from 22.4% to 35.8% over the study period. Prevalence also rose among Mexican American youth (from 26.4% to 28.1%) and other Hispanic youth (from 24.0% to 25.9%). Currently, more than one in three Black youth, over one in four Hispanic youth, nearly one in five white youth, and one in ten Asian youth meet the criteria for obesity.
Contrary to widespread concern, the study concluded that after accounting for pre-existing secular trends, there was no significant overall increase in childhood obesity prevalence attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, underscore that while the pandemic itself did not appear to accelerate the rate of obesity, the crisis of rising childhood obesity and its significant racial and ethnic disparities has continued to worsen over the past decade.
Link to the article: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-00389
References Liu, M., Inoue, K., Boyd, A., Aggarwal, R., Marinacci, L. X., & Wadhera, R. K. (2025). Obesity prevalence among children and adolescents in the united states, 2011 to 2023. Annals of Internal Medicine, ANNALS-25-00389. https://doi.org/10.7326/ANNALS-25-00389
