Prevalence of Obesity and Trends in Body Mass Index Among US Children and Adolescents, 1999-2010

Abstract

Context The prevalence of childhood obesity increased in the 1980s and 1990s but there were no significant changes in prevalence between 1999-2000 and 2007-2008 in the United States. Objectives To present the most recent estimates of obesity prevalence in US children and adolescents for 2009-2010 and to investigate trends in obesity prevalence and body mass index (BMI) among children and adolescents between 1999-2000 and 2009-2010. Design, Setting, and Participants Cross-sectional analyses of a representative sample (N=4111) of the US child and adolescent population (birth through 19 years of age) with measured heights and weights from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2010. Main Outcome Measures Prevalence of high weight-for-recumbent length (Ն95th percentile on the growth charts) among infants and toddlers from birth to 2 years of age and obesity (BMI Ն95th percentile of the BMI-forage growth charts) among children and adolescents aged 2 through 19 years. Analyses of trends in obesity by sex and race/ethnicity, and analyses of trends in BMI within sex-specific age groups for 6

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