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Children and teens overweight or obese by gender in United States
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Definition and Source
PROVIDER
Definition
The share of children and teens ages 10 to 17 who are overweight and obese by gender.
For this indicator, children between the 85th and 95th percentile BMI-for-age are categorized as overweight, and children at or above the 95th percentile BMI-for-age are characterized as obese. The state-level data used here come from the National Survey of Children's Health. The National Survey of Children's Health uses height and weight, as reported by the parent or most knowledgeable adult, to determine a child's Body Mass Index, or BMI, which is used to determine if a child is overweight. The BMI is age- and gender-specific.
For this indicator, children between the 85th and 95th percentile BMI-for-age are categorized as overweight, and children at or above the 95th percentile BMI-for-age are characterized as obese. The state-level data used here come from the National Survey of Children's Health. The National Survey of Children's Health uses height and weight, as reported by the parent or most knowledgeable adult, to determine a child's Body Mass Index, or BMI, which is used to determine if a child is overweight. The BMI is age- and gender-specific.
Data Source
Child Trends analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, National Survey of Children’s Health.
The state-level data used here come from the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH). The NSCH includes information on approximately 50,000 children under age 18, with representative samples for each state. For more information on the NSCH, see http://childhealthdata.org/learn/NSCH
The state-level data used here come from the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH). The NSCH includes information on approximately 50,000 children under age 18, with representative samples for each state. For more information on the NSCH, see http://childhealthdata.org/learn/NSCH
Notes
S - Estimates suppressed when the 95% confidence interval is greater than 20 percentage points or 1.2 times the estimate.
N.A. – Data not available.
Percentages exclude missing data. Weighted percentages were applied to the estimates of those missing to derive overall estimates for the number of children.
Last Updated
May 2023