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The Burden of Chronic Diseases and Their Risk Factors: National and State Perspectives 2004

Section III

Risk Factors and Use of Preventive Services, United States

NOTE: This document is provided for historical purposes only.

  




Overweight Among High School Students

The obesity epidemic is not limited to adults. According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the percentage of adolescents who are overweight has more than doubled during the past two decades. Overweight or obesity that begins in childhood or adolescence may continue into adulthood and increase the risk later in life for heart disease, gallbladder disease, and some types of cancer.

  • In 2001, 11% of U.S. high school students were overweight on the basis of self-reported weight and height, and 14% were at risk of becoming overweight.
  • Being overweight was reported by a greater proportion of male students (14%) than female students (7%).
  • In 2001, the percentage of high school students who reported being overweight in the states collecting this information ranged from 6% in Montana and Utah to 14% in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas.

Percentage of High School Students Who Reported Being Overweight,* 2001

Percentage of High School Students Who Reported Being Overweight,* 2001

* Body mass index ≥ 95th percentile by age and sex among participants in the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1971-1975).
Source: CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

[A text description of this map is also available.]

 

Percentage of High School Students Who Reported Being Overweight,* by Sex, Race, and Ethnicity, 2001

State† Total Male Female White Black‡ Hispanic‡ Other‡
               
ALABAMA 12.3 16.9 7.6 10.3 16.3 - -
ALASKA              
ARIZONA              
ARKANSAS 13.8 18.7 8.7 12.4 18.6 - -
CALIFORNIA              
COLORADO§ 7.1 11.1 2.5 5.6 - 12.8 -
CONNECTICUT              
DELAWARE 10.8 12.9 8.9 8.7 15.7 12.9 12.6
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 14.6 16.1 13.1 - 14.8 14.7 16.7
FLORIDA 10.4 13.6 6.8 9.5 11.7 11.3 8.2
GEORGIA              
HAWAII§ 12.1 16.6 8.3 6.7 - - 12.9
IDAHO 7.2 9.7 4.5 7.0 - 8.8 9.4
ILLINOIS§1 9.5 15.3 5.4 8.6 - - -
INDIANA§ 11.4 15.2 8.0 10.5 - - -
IOWA§ 9.8 12.8 6.7 9.1 - - -
KANSAS              
KENTUCKY§ 12.3 16.0 8.9 12.2 - - -
LOUISIANA§2 13.0 17.0 9.8 11.7 15.6 - -
MAINE 10.4 14.8 5.5 10.3 - - 16.0
MARYLAND              
MASSACHUSETTS 10.0 13.5 6.3 8.9 16.9 13.6 9.3
MICHIGAN 10.7 14.0 7.2 9.6 16.8 17.2 11.0
MINNESOTA              
MISSISSIPPI 14.0 18.4 9.9 12.8 15.3 - -
MISSOURI 12.8 17.0 8.5 11.6 18.6 - -
MONTANA 6.1 8.3 3.7 5.6 - - 10.7
NEBRASKA§ 9.0 12.2 5.6 8.3 - - -
NEVADA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
NEW HAMPSHIRE§ 8.6 12.0 5.3 8.7 - - 6.5
NEW JERSEY 10.1 14.0 6.1 9.0 13.6 13.1 4.8
NEW MEXICO              
NEW YORK§3 10.6 16.1 4.5 9.5 - - -
NORTH CAROLINA 12.9 16.6 9.0 11.9 15.5 9.1 9.9
NORTH DAKOTA 9.2 13.8 4.2 7.9 - - -
OHIO              
OKLAHOMA              
OREGON              
PENNSYLVANIA              
RHODE ISLAND 9.2 14.8 3.5 8.6 15.2 10.6 10.0
SOUTH CAROLINA§ 12.9 16.3 9.4 10.7 16.3 - 10.8
SOUTH DAKOTA 7.6 10.7 4.7 6.9 - - 12.9
TENNESSEE§ 13.2 16.3 10.1 11.9 19.1 - -
TEXAS 14.2 19.4 8.7 10.9 17.3 17.6 8.0
UTAH 6.2 9.6 2.6 6.0 - - 10.6
VERMONT 9.7 14.0 5.1 NA NA NA NA
VIRGINIA              
WASHINGTON              
WEST VIRGINIA              
WISCONSIN 9.6 13.3 5.6 8.9 14.2 - 12.7
WYOMING 6.6 9.3 3.7 6.2 - 7.8 13.1
               
UNITED STATES 10.5 14.2 6.9 8.8 16.0 15.1 8.7
               
* Body Mass Index ≥ 95th percentile by age and sex among participants in the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1971-1975).
† States with no data shown did not conduct a Youth Risk Behavior Survey in 2001.
‡ A dash indicates that the state sample had too few respondents (fewer than 100) in this category to calculate a stable estimate.
§ Unweighted data
NA - State did not ask this specific question or data not available.
1 Excludes students from Chicago
2 Excludes students from New Orleans
3 Excludes students from New York City
Source: CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

 

  



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Page last reviewed: October 31, 2005
Page last modified: October 31, 2005
Archive Date: April 8, 2008

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