Overweight children are at greater risk for many health problems, including high blood pressure and cholesterol, breathing problems, fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, and bone and joint problems. Overweight children and adolescents are also more likely to face social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem and to be overweight as adults.

In 2025, 40% of students were overweight or obese, a slight increase from 2017 when it was 39%, but a decrease of from a high of 44% in 2021. The rate was similar for males and females but varied across racial and ethnic groups: highest for Hispanic students at 49%, 44% for African American students, 37% for White students and 31% for Asian students. No national data was available for this indicator.

Within Arkansas, rates were highest in Bradley and Sharp counties (both at 52%) and lowest in Stone County (30%).

Racial and ethnic disparities in overweight and obesity rates among children stem from early environmental and institutional inequities. Black and Hispanic children disproportionately live in neighborhoods where safety concerns limit outdoor play and schools may lack physical education and fresh meal options. Family financial strain and aggressive junk-food marketing compound structural barriers and serve to establish unhealthy patterns long before many children have independent choices.

Data is from a sample of students in grades K, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 in all public schools in Arkansas.