COVID-19 Pandemic Drove Sharp Rise in Obesity Among Black Children and Adolescents, Study Finds
Key Insights
A national study found that obesity prevalence among Black children and adolescents rose dramatically from 22.4% to 35.8% between 2011 and August 2023, with the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating existing disparities.
The research analyzed 7,507 participants using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, revealing that Black youth experienced disproportionate increases in obesity compared to other racial and ethnic groups.
Researchers attributed the disparities to pandemic-related factors including school closures limiting physical activity, increased food insecurity, and economic hardships that disproportionately affected minority populations.
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly worsened childhood obesity disparities, with Black children and adolescents experiencing a dramatic 13.4 percentage point increase in obesity prevalence while other racial groups showed minimal changes, according to a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers analyzed data from 7,507 participants using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2011 to 2023, finding that obesity prevalence among Black children and adolescents rose from 22.4% to 35.8%. By the study's conclusion, obesity prevalence in Black youth was 62.73% higher than the overall prevalence across all races and ethnicities combined.
"What we see, though, is that over the last 10 years there's been a steady increase in obesity across the country among children and adolescents, and that's increased steadily," said lead author Michael Liu, MD, a resident at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "But when we account for those secular trends, where we think about trends over time, we wanted to see what actually happened during the COVID-19 pandemic."
Pandemic Factors Amplified Existing Inequities
The study participants included 54.5% children aged 2 to 11 years and 45.6% adolescents aged 12 to 19 years. Of the total participants, 13.7% were Black, 14.8% were Mexican-American, 9.3% were other Hispanic, 50.7% were White, 5.5% were Asian, and 5.9% were another race or ethnicity.
Overall obesity prevalence increased modestly from 20.3% in January 2011 to March 2020 to 22% from August 2021 to August 2023. However, the striking increase was concentrated almost entirely among Black children and adolescents, while other racial and ethnic groups showed no significant pandemic-related increases.
Corresponding author Rishi Wadhera, MD, MPP, MPhil, section head of health policy research at the Smith Center (search) and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, identified multiple pandemic-related factors that disproportionately affected Black communities.
"We know that Black children and adolescents are more likely to live in high-poverty neighborhoods due to systemic inequities and structural racism. Black youth are less likely to have access to nutritious foods and grocery stores and are more likely to live in pharmacy deserts," Wadhera explained.
School Closures and Food Insecurity
The pandemic disrupted critical support systems that many Black families relied upon. School closures eliminated access to regulated school meals and safe spaces for physical activity, while economic hardships intensified food insecurity in communities already facing challenges.
"Loss of space, safe spaces for physical activity with school closures, food insecurity that occurred with schools, for example, with children and youth losing access to school meals that tend to be more regulated in terms of nutrition and other health standards," Liu noted. "Also, just the economic hardships that we know disproportionately impacted Black and minority populations."
Wadhera emphasized how pre-existing conditions in many Black communities were exacerbated during the pandemic. School closures limited outdoor play and exercise, while restrictions on outdoor green spaces—which are already lacking in many Black and Hispanic communities—further reduced opportunities for physical activity.
Health Consequences and Current Statistics
The study findings are particularly concerning given the broader context of childhood obesity in the United States. As of 2024, the CDC (search) reported that approximately 1 in 5 US children and adolescents were obese, representing a dramatic increase from 5% in 1975.
Currently, more than 1 in 3 Black youth, more than 1 in 4 Hispanic youth, nearly 1 in 5 non-Hispanic White youth, and 1 in 10 Asian youth are obese. The new study found that obesity prevalence was highest among Black (35.8%), Mexican American (28.1%), and other Hispanic (25.9%) youth.
Children and adolescents with obesity face increased risks of developing high blood pressure, elevated blood lipids, diabetes, and increased LDL cholesterol—all significant contributors to heart disease and stroke. Additional consequences include hyperlipidemia, sleep apnea, depression, and early mortality.
Intervention Strategies
Liu emphasized that addressing childhood obesity requires interventions at multiple levels, starting with families and extending to communities. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends early interventions including nutritional education to encourage regular family meals with balanced portions, reducing sugary drinks, limiting screen time, and encouraging outdoor play.
"These are things like encouraging regular family meals with balanced portions for children, reducing sugary drinks, limiting screen time, encouraging outdoor play—all the things that kind of target the factors that we've already talked about that contribute to weight gain and obesity risk," Liu said.
At the community level, researchers advocate for addressing fundamental social determinants of health. "Investing in poverty relief programs, investing in parks and recreation centers, supporting local farmers markets and, you know, healthy grocery stores," Liu suggested as potential solutions.
The study's authors noted that while severe obesity prevalence remained stable throughout the study period across all subgroups, the striking increase in overall obesity prevalence during the COVID-19 pandemic was observed exclusively among Black children and adolescents, highlighting the urgent need for targeted interventions to address these persistent health disparities.