US teen obesity rate reaches 16%, with Black and Hispanic adolescents at highest risk

New research conducted in the US finds that nearly one in five teenagers was obese in 2023, with Black and Hispanic adolescents exhibiting the highest rates and Asian youths the lowest. 

The authors stress that understanding patterns of obesity and weight-loss efforts among US adolescents is critical for shaping effective clinical and public health interventions. Moreover, both adolescent overweight and obesity are linked to higher health risks in the short and long term.

However, they flag that data on whether and how adolescents attempt to lose weight is lacking.

“In the US today, adolescent obesity rates continue to rise while weight-loss attempts have steadily declined,” says co-author Charles Hennekens, M.D., professor of medicine and preventive medicine, and senior academic advisor at Florida Atlantic University.

“These findings highlight increasing clinical and public health challenges and illustrate the urgent need for targeted interventions.”

Scope of teenage obesity

The study authors analyzed obesity trends among 85,588 US high school students in all four school years, between 2013 and 2023, using the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which is the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

They examined patterns of overweight, obesity, and weight-loss attempts, both overall and within subgroups by gender, grade level, race, and ethnicity.

According to the findings, overall obesity among US high school students climbed from 13.7% in 2013 to 15.9% in 2023, peaking at 16.3% in 2021.

According to the findings, overall obesity among US high school students climbed from 13.7% in 2013 to 15.9% in 2023, peaking at 16.3% in 2021.

Black and Hispanic teenagers consistently had the highest rates, with peaks of 21.2% and 20.2%, respectively. Meanwhile, Asian adolescents had the lowest; however, their prevalence nearly doubled from 5.6% to 11%.

Contrastingly, the proportion of students considered overweight declined from 16.6% to 14.7%, which was largely due to decreases among male students.

Weight loss attempts

The researchers say their data show a generation in which higher body weights are becoming more common. Meanwhile, they found that overall motivation to manage weight — particularly among female adolescents — is declining. Overall, fewer adolescents reported trying to lose weight in 2023 (44.5%) than in 2013 (47.7%).

Male obesity rates steadily grew to a peak of 18.9% in 2019 before slightly declining to 18.2% in 2023, while female rates fluctuated, with lows of 10.8% and highs of 13.7%.

While female adolescents still report greater weight-loss attempts than their male counterparts, these efforts have dropped compared with previous years.

Study authors say this decline is significant, given that adolescent girls often experience greater body dissatisfaction and a desire to be thinner. These pressures are likely amplified by social comparisons on platforms like social media.

Comparing school batches

Among the grades, 11th graders (ages 16–17) had the highest obesity prevalence in 2023 at 17.3%, followed by ninth graders (ages 14–15). Ninth- and 12th-graders (ages 17–18) had the lowest rates of overweight.

Moreover, efforts to lose weight decreased most significantly among 10th- (ages 15–16) and 12th-graders, signaling a concerning gap in healthy behaviors as teens age, the authors highlight.

Obesity in adolescence leads to many harmful medical conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and mental health struggles with low self-esteem and depression.

The researchers stress that school programs that boost nutrition knowledge, body image, and mental health are essential to help teens build lasting, healthy habits.

They add that public health policies should also target weight management motivation, with initiatives like the CDC’s State Physical Activity and Nutrition program more effectively tailored to males’ higher obesity rates and females’ declining weight-loss efforts.

“While more research is needed, these data have implications for clinicians and public health practitioners,” concludes Hennekens. “These patterns underscore the need for clinical and public health strategies to address the challenges in US adolescents to prevent future morbidity and mortality.”

With a growing number of adolescents turning to AI for weight loss solutions, a recent study found that AI-generated dietary advice may, in fact, harm teens’ nutrient intake and can trigger eating disorders.