Childhood Obesity Rates Reach Record High: CDC

One in five children and teens in the US are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

The Data: Only 5.2% of children and teens surveyed between 1971 and 1974 were obese, compared to roughly 20% surveyed between 2021 and 2023. "For children, obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile for age and sex," according to the CDC, which classified 7% of the newly-surveyed children as having severe obesity. In the last 20 years, adult obesity rates have increased as well, roughly doubling for people over age 20. The CDC website notes, "Obesity affects some groups more than others, including adolescents, Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black children, and children in families with lower incomes." It estimated that in 2019, obesity-related medical costs were about $1.3 billion, and costs for children with obesity were about $116 higher than for children without obesity.

Possible Causes: A Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesperson told The Hill (Center bias), "More than 60 percent of children's daily calories come from highly processed foods, a pattern linked to higher rates of obesity, diabetes and other chronic conditions." Many experts pointed to healthy school meals as a key factor in decreasing childhood obesity rates, which may explain the rate spike during the COVID-19 pandemic. A decline in overall physical activity is also a major proponent of the issue, which ZeroHedge (Lean Right) specifically noted.

How The Media Covered It: Media coverage of the CDC report was scarce across the political spectrum, though existing coverage emphasized debates surrounding HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. The Hill, for example, mentioned both federal cuts to food assistance programs and the Trump administration recognizing the importance of school meals. ZeroHedge highlighted debates as well but framed the administration more positively in saying it "approved requests from 18 states to remove soda and junk food from certain food assistance programs and announced new nutrition training requirements for future physicians." ABC News (Lean Left) appeared to point more emphatically towards weight loss drugs and surgery as viable options to decrease childhood obesity rates. The outlet's coverage focused on adult obesity rates appearing to lessen in recent years. 

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