HEALTH7 Obesity: Percentage of children ages 6–17 with obesity by age, race and Hispanic origin, and gender, selected years 1976–1980 through 2017–March 2020

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Characteristic 1976–1980 1988–1994 1999–2002 2003–2006 2007–2010 2011–2014 2017–March 2020a
Ages 6–17
Total 5.7 11.2 16.0 17.3 18.6 19.5 21.3
Race and Hispanic originb
White, non-Hispanic 4.9 10.5 13.2 15.5 16.0 17.1 17.8
Black, non-Hispanic 8.2 14.0 20.7 21.5 24.0 22.5 27.4
Asian, non-Hispanic 9.8 11.1
Hispanic 23.7 24.3 27.6
Mexican American 15.4 23.0 22.7 23.8 25.2 30.2
Gender
Male 5.5 11.8 17.2 18.1 20.4 18.9 22.9
Female 5.8 10.6 14.7 16.3 16.7 20.0 19.8
Ages 6–11
Total 6.5 11.3 15.8 17.0 18.8 17.5 20.9
Gender
Male 6.7 11.6 16.9 18.0 20.7 17.6 23.0
Female 6.4 11.0 14.7 15.8 16.9 17.5 18.7
Ages 12–17
Total 4.9 11.1 16.1 17.5 18.4 21.3 21.8
Gender
Male 4.5 12.0 17.5 18.2 20.1 20.1 22.7
Female 5.4 10.2 14.7 16.8 16.6 22.5 20.8
— Not available.
a The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) program suspended field operations in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, data collection for the 2019–2020 cycle was not completed. Therefore, data collected from 2019 to March 2020 were combined with data from the 2017–2018 cycle to create a 2017–March 2020 pre-pandemic file. This file covers 3.2 years of data collection. For more information, see: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/continuousnhanes/overviewbrief.aspx?Cycle=2017-2020.
b For 1976–1980 to 1988–1994 data, the 1977 U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards for data on race and ethnicity were used to classify persons into one of the following four racial groups: White, Black, American Indian or Alaskan Native, or Asian or Pacific Islander. Starting in 1999–2000, the revised 1997 OMB standards were used. Persons could select one or more of five racial groups: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Included in the total but not shown separately are American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and "Two or more races." Starting in 1999–2000, those in each racial category represent those reporting only one race. Data from 1999–2000 onward are not directly comparable with data from earlier years. Data on race and Hispanic origin are collected separately but combined for reporting. Persons of Mexican origin may be of any race. From 1976–1980 to 2005–2006, the NHANES sample was designed to provide estimates specifically for persons of Mexican or Hispanic origin. Starting in 2007–2008, the NHANES allows for reporting of both total Hispanic and Mexican American persons. Starting in 2011–2012, the NHANES sample was designed to provide estimates for Asian American persons.
NOTE: Obesity for children and adolescents is defined as a body mass index (BMI) at or above the sex- and age-specific 95th percentile from the 2000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Growth Charts (https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/). BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. It is calculated as a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters.
SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.