Teen obesity in the United States has continued to rise over the past decade. At the same time, fewer adolescents report trying to lose weight—a shift that may reflect changing attitudes toward health, body image, and behavior.
A new analysis from Florida Atlantic University, using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey, tracked more than 85,000 high school students from 2013 to 2023. The findings, published in Ochsner Journal, show that obesity rates increased from 13.7% to 15.9% over that period, with a peak of 16.3% in 2021.
At the same time, the percentage of teens reporting attempts to lose weight declined from 47.7% to 44.5%.
“In the U.S. today, adolescent obesity rates continue to rise while weight-loss attempts have steadily declined,” said study co-author Charles H. Hennekens, M.D.
The shift was not uniform across groups. Black and Hispanic adolescents consistently had the highest obesity rates, while Asian adolescents had the lowest, though their rates increased over time. Female students were more likely than males to report trying to lose weight, but those efforts also declined.
The findings highlight a disconnect between outcomes and behavior. Higher body weight is becoming more common, even as fewer teens say they are actively trying to change it.
That doesn’t necessarily mean teens are less concerned about health. Researchers suggest a mix of factors may be at play, including evolving attitudes toward body image, mental health challenges, and social influences such as online environments.
At the same time, “trying to lose weight” is an imperfect measure of health behavior. It does not capture whether teens are making sustainable changes, such as improving diet quality, increasing physical activity, or getting enough sleep.
Body mass index, the primary measure used in the study, also has limitations. It does not distinguish between body composition or reflect differences in growth and development during adolescence.
Still, the overall trend raises important questions about how young people engage with health. Adolescence is a key period for forming long-term habits, including eating patterns that can carry into adulthood.
The findings also point to the importance of how health messages are framed. Approaches focused solely on weight may miss the broader picture of behavior, environment, and well-being.
For families and communities, that may mean shifting the focus away from weight alone and toward building consistent habits—like balanced meals, regular movement, and supportive environments—that are easier to sustain over time.
This study analyzed data from the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Specific funding details were not highlighted in the summary.