Since the late 1970s, the rates of overweight among children and adolescents have risen dramatically.  Recall that overweight is defined as BMI greater than or equal to the gender- and weight-specific 95th percentile from historic growth charts.

Source: National Health Examination Surveys II (ages 6-11) and III (ages 12-17), National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys I, II, III and 1999-2004, National Center for Health Statistics, CDC.