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January 2007

Prevalence of overweight, infants and children less than 2 years of age: United States, 2003-2004

Results from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), using measured recumbent lengths and weights, indicate that an estimated 9.5% percent of infants and children less than 2 years of age were overweight. Table 1 shows the prevalence of overweight from birth through 23 months and from 6 through 23 months of age for selected years.  NHANES 1976-1980 included individuals only as young as 6 months of age while NHANES 1988-1994 included individuals 2 months of age and older.  Beginning in 1999-2000, NHANES included individuals from birth.  Therefore, trends from 1976-1980 to the present can only be done for the 6-23 month age group.  Overweight was defined as weight >= 95th percentile of weight-for-recumbent length on the sex-specific growth charts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) http://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/.

NHANES surveys use a stratified, multistage, probability sample of the civilian non-institutionalized U.S. population. A household interview and a physical examination were conducted for each survey participant. During the physical examination, conducted in mobile examination centers, recumbent length and weight were measured as part of a more comprehensive set of body measurements. These measurements were taken by trained health technicians, using standardized measuring procedures and equipment. Observations for persons missing a valid recumbent length or weight measurement were not included in the data analysis.

Table 1. Prevalence of overweight among infants and children less than 2 years of age, for selected years 1976-80 through 2003-2004

Age (months)

NHANES
1976-80

NHANES
1988-94

NHANES
1999-2000

NHANES
2001-02
NHANES
2003-04
Birth-23 mo

10.6 7.9 9.5
6-23 mo

7.2

8.9

12.4

9.1 11.5

For additional information on overweight in the US see:

 NHANES data on the Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Adults-United States, 2003-2004
Fact Sheet

 Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, McDowell MA, Tabak CJ, Flegal KM. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States, 1999-2004. JAMA 295:1549-1555. 2006.

 Flegal KM, Carroll MD, Ogden CL, Johnson CL. Prevalence and trends in obesity among US adults, 1999-2000. JAMA 288:1723-7. 2002.

 Prevalence of Overweight Among Children and Adolescents:  United States, 2003-2004

 Ogden CL, Flegal KM, Carroll MD, Johnson CL. Prevalence and trends in overweight among US children and adolescents, 1999-2000. JAMA 288:1728-32. 2002.

This page last reviewed September 09, 2008

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Health Statistics
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1-800-232-4636