Hales · NCHS data brief 2017 · cross-sectional surveillance study · n=?

Prevalence of Obesity Among Adults and Youth: United States, 2015-2016.

Cited 3938 times in the scientific literature.

Level 4 - case-series / case-control

Cross-sectional national survey and surveillance report.

PubMed 29155689 · record verified 2026-08-27

What was done

Analyzed United States national surveillance data to calculate obesity prevalence across sex, age, and race/Hispanic origin subgroups for 2015–2016, alongside overall population trends from 1999–2000 through 2015–2016.

What was found

The abstract provides no numerical prevalence rates. It reports that adult obesity showed a statistically significant increasing trend between 2003–2004 and 2013–2014, while childhood obesity prevalence showed no significant change over the same interval.

Why it matters

Supplies official national benchmark data needed to track obesity trajectories and evaluate public health prevention and reduction initiatives across demographic groups.

Limits

The abstract does not disclose sample sizes, exact prevalence figures, standard errors, or subgroup-specific results. As a cross-sectional descriptive report, it tracks demographic prevalence rather than individual-level longitudinal changes or causal mechanisms.

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