According to data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the 2023 Kids Count data book from 2020-2021, one-third of kids aged 10 to 17 across the country are overweight or obese. The highest rates come from Kentucky, Mississippi and West Virginia, while Colorado, Wyoming, Utah (26%), Minnesota and Montana have the lowest rates.

“Coming from Georgia and South Carolina, I can vouch that obesity, particularly pediatric obesity, is not as high here in Utah,” said Dr. Jacqueline Chan, a pediatric endocrinologist and clinical assistant professor of pediatric endocrinology at University of Utah Health.

Some of the reasons for the lower obesity youth obesity rates in Utah, Chan said, could be due to more outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, skiing and even walking.

“Also, the culture of fast food or eating outside often is something not that common here as it is in other areas,” Chan said. “Access to fresh produce is another thing that Utah seems to have an advantage of. One interesting factor that may be looked at is socioeconomic status of most families here or even unemployment rate.”

Increased weight can lead to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, joint pain, depression, sleep apnea and high cholesterol, Chan said.

While Utah is in the lower percentage rate, there are still some problems with weight. Some of them, of course, are caused by overeating and lack of exercise. Doing outdoor activities now tend to be an option, as compared to something of the norm, such as walking to school, doing lawn activities or playing outside, Chan said.

But there are many other factors that can cause obesity.

“Food is just one of the causes as mentioned,” she said. “Genetics and epigenetic play a role as well. A child born from a mother with gestational diabetes or obesity tends to have altered metabolism and puts them at high risk of obesity later on in life.”

Chan said addressing pediatric obesity is a joint effort that includes family, health care providers, schools and the entire community. This means having an understanding of what healthy food options look like and being aware of other resources such as affordable outdoor activities. It’s also important to involve children in simple household activities like chores, learning to cook healthy meals and limiting screen time.

Obesity in the U.S. is also highly stigmatized and can have a detrimental effect on a child’s self-esteem.

“There definitely has been multiple studies conducted for obesity and increase risk for suicide ideation for children and young adults,” Chan said. “The first step with the community and for most health care providers is to recognize obesity as a chronic condition the same way we address asthma.”

The data found males, ages 10 to 17, consistently had higher rates of obesity than their female peers over the last five years. In addition, obesity rates were higher for Latino (43%) and Black (40%) youth compared to white (27%) and Asian/Pacific Islander youth (24%).