More than 1 in 7 children are obese, report finds 

A newly released report finds that nearly 5 million children in the U.S. ages 10-17 are obese. Here’s more from the report, which looked at data from 2017 and 2018: 

• Overall trends: The rate of obesity in 2017-2018 was around 15%, compared to 16% in 2016, a difference that is not statistically significant. 
• State-level trends: Mississippi, West Virginia, and Kentucky had youth obesity rates that were significantly higher than the national average. At the same time, Utah, Colorado, and Washington were among the six states that had rates lower than the U.S. average. 
• Demographic trends: Black youths in the age group had the highest obesity rates, at roughly 22%, while Asian youths had the lowest, at around 7%. More than a fifth of the youth in households making less than the federal poverty level were obese.