Socioeconomic disparities in obesity prevalence increased during 1999- 2018 among US adolescents, according to a research letter published in JAMA Pediatrics. Ryunosuke Goto, MD, and colleagues used NHANES data 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-income household. 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 grew 6.4 percentage points, and similar trends were seen for head-of-household education. Every 4 years, the gap in obesity prevalence by income and education increased by an average of 1.5 and 1.1 percentage points, respectively
