A brief research report evaluated obesity among U.S. children and adolescents from 2011 to August 2023 and compared changes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study found that the overall prevalence for obesity increased for all groups from January 2011 to August 2023. The increase was most pronounced among Black youth.

While the pandemic presented obesity risk factors including the loss of safe spaces for physical activity, increased food insecurity, and heightened stress linked to family economic hardship, the authors found no overall increase in obesity after accounting for secular trends.

The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers from the Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA studied serial cross-sectional data from the 2011 to August 2023 survey cycles of the NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey).

The participants studied were 17,507 children (ages 2 to 11 years) and adolescents (ages 12 to 19 years). The researchers calculated the unadjusted prevalence of obesity and severe obesity overall, as well as by age and self-reported race and ethnicity.

They also estimated changes during the COVID-19 pandemic (August 2021 to August 2023) relative to the prepandemic period (January 2011 to March 2020). The researchers found the overall prevalence of obesity increased from 20.3% in January 2011 to March 2020 to 22.0% in August 2021 to August 2023.

By the end of the study period (August 2021-August 2023), the prevalence of obesity was highest among Black (from 22.4% to 35.8%), Mexican American (from 26.4% to 28.1%), and other Hispanic (from 24.0% to 25.9%) youth. Currently, more than 1 in 3 Black youth, more than 1 in 4 Hispanic youth, nearly 1 in 5 white youth, and 1 in 10 Asian youth meet the criteria for obesity.