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How did childhood obesity rates change in the United States during the late 20th century?

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Close-up of hands using a measuring tape to measure the waist circumference of an obese man wearing a white shirt and beige pants. — obesity The excessive accumulation of body fat can cause serious medical conditions.

During the late 20th century, the prevalence of obesity among children in the United States increased significantly. Specifically, throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the rate of obesity more than doubled for two distinct age groups:

Ages 2 to 5: The prevalence rose from 5 percent to 10 percent.
Ages 6 to 11: The prevalence rose from 6 percent to 15 percent.

This rapid escalation is widely attributed by experts to major shifts in environmental factors and behavioral patterns rather than genetic changes. Key contributors included the widespread availability of inexpensive, high-calorie processed foods and increasingly sedentary lifestyles, such as high levels of screen time spent watching television or using computers. The rise in childhood obesity during this period is a matter of significant public health concern, as it has led to an increase in conditions previously seen primarily in adults, such as type II diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol.12