what is the prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents in the u.s, and what are the contributing factors?
Childhood Obesity Overweight and obesity in children are significant public health problems in the United States. The number of adolescents who are overweight has tripled since 1980 and the prevalence among younger children has more than doubled. According to the 1999-2002 NHANES survey, 16 percent of children age 6-19 years are overweight (see Figure 1).