Skip to main content

Table 1 Characteristics of the participants and prevalence of overweight and obesity in the successive surveys.

From: Changes of overweight and obesity in the adult Swiss population according to educational level, from 1992 to 2007

 

1992/3

1997

2002

2007

Test

Sample size

14,521

12,474

18,908

17,879

3.16 NS

Women (%)

7946 (54.7)

6937 (55.6)

10,345 (54.7)

9862 (55.2)

 

Age (years)

     

   Men

44.3 ± 16.7

45.2 ± 17.0

48.6 ± 16.9

49.6 ± 17.2

160.2 ***

   Women

46.1 ± 17.5

47.8 ± 18.1

50.4 ± 17.3

51.3 ± 17.9

160.5 ***

Educational level (%)

     

   Low

3081 (21.2)

2747 (22.0)

3635 (19.2)

2471 (13.8)

 

   Middle

8300 (57.2)

7577 (60.7)

12,082 (63.9)

10,523 (58.9)

1005 ***

   High

3140 (21.6)

2150 (17.2)

3191 (16.9)

4885 (27.3)

 

Men

     

   Mean BMI (kg/m2)

24.7 ± 3.6

24.9 ± 3.4

25.3 ± 3.7

25.4 ± 3.6

65.06 ***

   Overweight (%)

5841 (34.1)

1980 (35.8)

3351 (39.1)

3217 (40.1)

184.9 ***

   Obesity (%)

411 (6.3)

374 (6.8)

765 (8.9)

752 (9.4)

 

Women

     

   Mean BMI (kg/m2)

22.8 ± 3.8

23.4 ± 4.3

23.7 ± 4.2

23.7 ± 4.3

90.95 ***

   Overweight (%)

1386 (17.4)

1470 (21.2)

2398 (23.2)

2248 (22.8)

231.6 ***

   Obesity (%)

392 (4.9)

500 (7.2)

825 (8.0)

836 (8.5)

 

All subjects

     

   Mean BMI (kg/m2)

23.6 ± 3.8

24.0 ± 4.0

24.4 ± 4.1

24.5 ± 4.1

 

   Overweight (%)

3627 (25.0)

3450 (27.7)

5749 (30.4)

5465 (30.6)

386.4 ***

   Obesity (%)

803 (5.5)

874 (7.0)

1590 (8.4)

1588 (8.9)

 
  1. BMI: body mass index; overweight is defined as a BMI ≥ 25 and <30 kg/m2. Obesity is defined as a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2. Results are expressed as number of subjects and (percentage) or as mean ± standard deviation. Statistical analysis by chi-square or analysis of variance: NS, not significant; ***, p < 0.001. For BMI, further adjustment on age led to similar findings: F test = 28.8 (p < 0.001) for men and F test = 44.1 (p < 0.001) for women.