Demographic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Adolescent Obesity: Insights From the National Survey of Children's Health Database

Background: Obesity among adolescents is a significant public health concern. This study analyzes the prevalence of obesity among adolescents using data from the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). The analysis focuses on the impact of race and socioeconomic variables on obesity rates.

Objective: This study aimed to examine how race and socioeconomic factors, including income level, insurance status, and adverse childhood experiences, influence obesity prevalence among adolescents.

Methods: Data were extracted from the NSCH for adolescents aged 10-17 years, defining obesity as a body mass index (BMI) of or above the 95th percentile (n = 3,344). Furthermore, for this study, the researchers utilized SPSS version 26 software for data analysis. The analysis focused on obesity prevalence by race (Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, and White non-Hispanic) and socioeconomic factors, including family income relative to the federal poverty level (FPL), insurance status, and adverse childhood experiences. Obesity was assessed by reporting prevalence estimates and confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: Among adolescents aged 10-17 years (n = 23,452 ), the overall prevalence of obesity was 16.6% (CI: 15.6%-17.7%), overweight 15.2% (CI: 14.3-16.1%), normal weight 60.9% (CI: 59.6%-62.2%), and underweight 7.3% (CI: 6.5%-8.1%). Stating that the overall n at the beginning helps the reader to assess the study population and the percentages are more impactful in communicating the severity of the problem or outcome. We found significant disparities in obesity prevalence among different racial and socioeconomic groups. Racial disparities in obesity prevalence were evident, with 773 Hispanic adolescents having the highest obesity prevalence at 21.9%, followed by 330 Black non-Hispanic adolescents at 21.3%. Socioeconomic status was inversely related to obesity prevalence; among 647 adolescents from households with income at 0-99% of the FPL, the obesity prevalence was 22.5%, while 1,630 had a normal weight prevalence of 53.2%. For 3,150 insured adolescents, the obesity prevalence was 16.6%, and 14,481 had a normal weight prevalence of 61.3%. A total of 1,121 adolescents with two or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) had a 22.4% obesity prevalence. Conclusion: The study highlights significant racial and socioeconomic disparities in adolescent obesity rates. Higher obesity prevalence is associated with lower income levels, lack of insurance, and adverse childhood experiences. These findings suggest the need for targeted interventions addressing these disparities to improve adolescent health outcomes. The targeted interventions are essential, as they will aid in addressing the observed disparities by tackling factors contributing to obesity within the demographic group. Through the execution of the targeted interventions, we can customize resources and strategies to the adolescent population's needs, ascertaining an increasingly equitable approach to lowering obesity prevalence rates and enhancing the health outcomes in adolescents.