Between 2015 and 2018, obesity rates in U.S. children and adolescents stood at 19.3 and 20.9 percent, respectively. This is a noteworthy increase compared to the percentages seen between 1988 and 1994.
U.S. high school obesity rates
Roughly 18 percent of black, as well as Hispanic students in the United States, were obese between 2016 and 2017. Male obesity rates were noticeably higher than those of female students for each of the ethnicities during the measured period. For example, about 22 percent of male Hispanic high school students were obese, compared to 14 percent of female students. The American states with the highest number of obese high school students in 2019 included Mississippi, West Virginia, and Arkansas, respectively. Mississippi had a high school student obesity rate of over 23 percent that year.
Physically inactive Americans
Adults from Mississippi and Arkansas were also reported to be some of the least physically active people in the United States in 2018. When surveyed, over 30 percent of adults from Kentucky and Arkansas had not exercised within the preceding 30 days. The national physical inactivity average stood at approximately 26 percent that year.
Percentage of U.S. children and adolescents who were obese in selected periods between 1988 and 2018
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US Department of Health and Human Services. (March 2, 2021). Percentage of U.S. children and adolescents who were obese in selected periods between 1988 and 2018 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 02, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/285035/percentage-of-us-children-and-adolescents-who-were-obese/
US Department of Health and Human Services. "Percentage of U.S. children and adolescents who were obese in selected periods between 1988 and 2018." Chart. March 2, 2021. Statista. Accessed December 02, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/285035/percentage-of-us-children-and-adolescents-who-were-obese/
US Department of Health and Human Services. (2021). Percentage of U.S. children and adolescents who were obese in selected periods between 1988 and 2018. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 02, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/285035/percentage-of-us-children-and-adolescents-who-were-obese/
US Department of Health and Human Services. "Percentage of U.S. Children and Adolescents Who Were Obese in Selected Periods between 1988 and 2018." Statista, Statista Inc., 2 Mar 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/285035/percentage-of-us-children-and-adolescents-who-were-obese/
US Department of Health and Human Services, Percentage of U.S. children and adolescents who were obese in selected periods between 1988 and 2018 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/285035/percentage-of-us-children-and-adolescents-who-were-obese/ (last visited December 02, 2024)
Percentage of U.S. children and adolescents who were obese in selected periods between 1988 and 2018 [Graph], US Department of Health and Human Services, March 2, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/285035/percentage-of-us-children-and-adolescents-who-were-obese/