One In Five U.S. Children Are Obese, Study Says

Key TakeawaysOne in every five U.S. children have obesityAbout 27% of young children and 39% of teens and young adults are either overweight or obeseNearly 1 in 10 teens and young adults are severely obese.FRIDAY, Feb. 20, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Obesity affects 1 in every 5 U.S. children, a new study says.About 20% of American children between the ages of 2 and 19 have obesity, researchers report Feb. 10 in JAMA Network Open.“In 2024, excess youth overweight and obesity remained highly prevalent among youths in the U.S.,” wrote the research team led by Dr. William Heerman, a pediatrician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.For the new study, researchers analyzed data on more than 6 million children collected by eight clinical research networks in 2024.Results showed that about 27% of 2- to 5-year-olds and just under 39% of teenagers and young adults were overweight or obese.In all, 9% of teenagers and young adults were severely obese.Among teenagers, healthy weight was found in:59% of white youths52% of Black young people50% of American Indian/Alaska Native youths49% of Hispanic youths47% of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander youths“These results demonstrate the uneven distribution of obesity and severe obesity across youths in the U.S. and underscore the need for ongoing treatment, prevention and public health interventions to reduce excess adiposity in youths,” the study concluded.Children with obesity have a higher risk of asthma, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, heart disease, depression and joint pain, according to the Cleveland Clinic.More informationThe Cleveland Clinic has more on childhood obesity.SOURCE: JAMA Network Open, Feb. 10, 2026 .What This Means For YouMany U.S. children are overweight or obese, which can have long-term effects on their health..Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

One In Five U.S. Children Are Obese, Study Says

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