Introduction

Childhood obesity is a major health concern within the modern United States, afflicting over 14.7 million American adolescents from 2017-2020 (1). This complex disease is so alarming because it is associated with a variety of long-term health implications. According to the peer-reviewed Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, childhood obesity has been shown to lead to an increase in early-onset type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and more (2). The prevalence of these serious health problems reveal the negative impact that childhood obesity has on America’s youth. 

As a response to this issue, my research project is focused on the socioeconomic demographics surrounding childhood obesity. To fill a gap in existing literature, it has been argued that there are multiple studies that analyze the relations of adult obesity levels to social, political, and economic factors; however, there are few studies that examine these relations in children. Additionally, a gap in childhood obesity-related research is a comparison between different geographic socioeconomic statuses (SES), specifically between U.S. states and U.S. territories. Thus, my research project is addressing this gap in the professional conversation and answering the question: How do childhood obesity rates in the U.S. territories differ from U.S. states based on differences in socioeconomic status within the past decade (2012-2020)?

Using a binary logistic regression analysis model, I am comparing childhood obesity data to the socioeconomic status (family income) of U.S. states/territories between the most recent decade of available data (years 2012-2020). This data will be gathered from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and U.S. Census Bureau. Through this model, I am also calculating new student-generated data by analyzing the rate of change and modern trend of childhood obesity.