ArticlePloS one2014
Socioeconomic, temporal and regional variation in body mass index among 188,537 Swiss male conscripts born between 1986 and 1992.
Article in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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15 citing papers in PubMed, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Trends in physical fitness performance and body mass index of Swiss military conscripts, 2006-2024: a cross-sectional study.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Impact of obesity and physical fitness on hypertension: a mediation analysis including over 380 000 Swiss young male conscripts from 2007 to 2022.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2025Article
- Trends of physical fitness related to weight status: An analysis including over 412,000 Swiss young male conscripts from 2007 to 2022.Preventive medicine reports · 2024Article
- Body mass index in young men in Switzerland after the national shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from a cross-sectional monitoring study at the population level since 2010.European journal of public health · 2022Article
- The role of body height as a co-factor of excess weight in Switzerland.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2022Article
- Residential Altitude Associates With Endurance but Not Muscle Power in Young Swiss Men.Frontiers in physiology · 2020Article
- Development of physical fitness performance in young Swiss men from 2006 to 2015.Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports · 2019Article
- Spatial Association of Food Sales in Supermarkets with the Mean BMI of Young Men: An Ecological Study.Nutrients · 2019Article
- Article
- Increasing variability of body mass and health correlates in Swiss conscripts, a possible role of relaxed natural selection?Evolution, medicine, and public health · 2018Article
- Temporal trends, regional variation and socio-economic differences in height, BMI and body proportions among German conscripts, 1956-2010.Public health nutrition · 2017Article
- Different effects of living conditions on the variation in BMI and height in children before the onset of puberty.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2016Article
- Multivariable analysis of total cholesterol levels in male Swiss Armed Forces conscripts 2006-2012 (N = 174,872).BMC cardiovascular disorders · 2016Article
- From Undernutrition to Overnutrition: The Evolution of Overweight and Obesity among Young Men in Switzerland since the 19th Century.Obesity facts · 2016Article
- Finding big shots: small-area mapping and spatial modelling of obesity among Swiss male conscripts.BMC obesity · 2016Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRising levels of overweight and obesity are important public-health concerns worldwide. The purpose of this study is to elucidate their prevalence and trends in Switzerland by analyzing variations in Body Mass Index (BMI) of Swiss conscripts.
methodsThe conscription records were provided by the Swiss Army. This study focussed on conscripts 18.5-20.5 years of age from the seven one-year birth cohorts spanning the period 1986-1992. BMI across professional status, area-based socioeconomic position (abSEP), urbanicity and regions was analyzed. Two piecewise quantile regression models with linear splines for three birth-cohort groups were used to examine the association of median BMI with explanatory variables and to determine the extent to which BMI has varied over time.
resultsThe study population consisted of 188,537 individuals. Median BMI was 22.51 kg/m2 (22.45-22.57 95% confidence interval (CI)). BMI was lower among conscripts of high professional status (-0.46 kg/m2; 95% CI: -0.50, -0.42, compared with low), living in areas of high abSEP (-0.11 kg/m2; 95% CI: -0.16, -0.07 compared to medium) and from urban communities (-0.07 kg/m2; 95% CI: -0.11, -0.03, compared with peri-urban). Comparing with Midland, median BMI was highest in the North-West (0.25 kg/m2; 95% CI: 0.19-0.30) and Central regions (0.11 kg/m2; 95% CI: 0.05-0.16) and lowest in the East (-0.19 kg/m2; 95% CI: -0.24, -0.14) and Lake Geneva regions (-0.15 kg/m2; 95% CI: -0.20, -0.09). Trajectories of regional BMI growth varied across birth cohorts, with median BMI remaining high in the Central and North-West regions, whereas stabilization and in some cases a decline were observed elsewhere.
conclusionsBMI of Swiss conscripts is associated with individual and abSEP and urbanicity. Results show regional variation in the levels and temporal trajectories of BMI growth and signal their possible slowdown among recent birth cohorts.
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