Overweight rates among Swiss schoolchildren hit 20-year low

Keystone / Martin Ruetschi

The share of overweight and obese pupils has dropped from about 20% in 2005 to 15.5% today – the lowest level since BMI (Body Mass Index) monitoring began in Switzerland.

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However, overweight remains a concern, with around one in six pupils affected.

Over the past two decades, rates have fallen among schoolchildren, according to Health Promotion Switzerland, which published the figures in a special report marking 20 years of the monitoring programme.

Since the 2005/06 school year, Health Promotion Switzerland has been analysing data on the body weight of children and teenagers in compulsory education, alongside school health services in Basel, Bern and Zurich.

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BMI monitoring in children

At the start of data collection in the 2005/06 school year, one in five children was overweight or obese. This figure – the overall prevalence of overweight – has since fallen significantly to 15.5% today.

Overall decline in overweight rates

The biggest drop was seen at primary level, where the rate fell by five percentage points. In lower secondary, it declined by three points.

The trend is different in upper secondary schools, where rates of overweight and obesity have risen over the past 20 years, although there has been a decline over the past two years.

Further analysis shows little difference between boys and girls, but the risk of being overweight varies significantly depending on nationality and social background.

Over the past 20 years, differences linked to nationality have narrowed, but gaps linked to social background have remained. When all factors are taken into account, social background emerges as the most important “risk factor”.

Body mass index (BMI)

BMI is a measure of the relationship between height and weight: BMI = kg/m² – that is, weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared.

For adults, a BMI below 18 kg/m² is classed as underweight, while a BMI above 18 and below 25 kg/m² is considered a healthy weight. A BMI of 25 kg/m² or above is classed as overweight.

Within this group, a BMI of 30 kg/m² or more is defined as obesity.

Translated from German by AI/sp

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