Socioeconomic disparities in obesity prevalence grew from 1999-2018 among US adolescents, according to a research letter published in JAMA Pediatrics. Nianogo Roch, MD, PhD, MPH, and colleagues used data from NHANES between 1999 and 2018 to examine obesity trends among US teens aged 10-19 by socioeconomic status (SES). The trend in adjusted obesity prevalence increased over 20 years, particularly among adolescents from low-SES households. There was a 4.2 percentage point increase in obesity prevalence associated with living in a low-in-
come household, and lower head-of-household education level was associated with a 9.0 percentage point increase in obesity prevalence. For 2015-2018 versus 1999-2002, the gap in obesity prevalence between adolescents from low-income households versus others increased 6.4 percentage points. Similar trends were seen for head-of-household education. Every 4 years, the gap in obesity prevalence by income and education increased by averages of 1.5 and 1.1 percentage points, respectively. “The larger obesity prevalence among adolescents from lower-SES households may exacerbate socioeconomic disparities in chronic diseases into adulthood,” Dr. Roch and colleagues wrote.
