Cardiometabolic Risks and Severity of Obesity in Children and Young Adults

In this cross-sectional analysis of data from overweight or obese children and young adults from NHANES (1999–2012), severe obesity was associated with an increased prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors, particularly in boys and young men. The prevalence of severe obesity among children and young adults has increased in recent years 1 and has led to a heightened awareness and concern about the cardiovascular and metabolic health of persons in this age group. In 1999–2004, almost 4% of children and young adults in the United States 2 to 19 years of age were classified as having severe obesity, 2 and as recently as 2011–2012, the prevalence of severe obesity increased to approximately 6% in this age group 1 ; however, the prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors accompanying severe obesity in these children and young adults is unclear. Cardiometabolic risk . . .