Overweight and obesity in a Swiss city: 10-year trends.
BACKGROUND
Increased rates of overweight/obesity have been reported in recent years in developed countries. This population study of healthy subjects evaluated the changes in overweight/obesity prevalence in 2003, compared with 1993, and determined the association of age, sex and leisure-time activity with body mass index (BMI), fat-free mass index (FFMI) and fat mass index (FMI).


METHODS
Two transversal samples of convenience.


METHODS
Healthy volunteers (1993, n = 802; 2003, n = 1631).


METHODS
Fat-free mass was determined using the bioelectrical impedance multiple regression equation. Multivariable linear regression, including confounding variables (age, sex, leisure-time activity), was used to model the body composition evolution between the 1993 and the 2003 subjects.


RESULTS
BMI and FMI were higher in 2003 than in 1993, P < 0.001. FFMI was not higher in 2003 than in 1993, P = 0.38. More subjects were overweight/obese in 2003 than in 1993 (27.5 versus 17.2%, chi-square P < 0.001), and had a high FFMI (30.2 versus 21.8%, chi-square P < 0.001) and high FMI (28.0 versus 20.3%, chi-square P < 0.001). Multivariate linear regressions showed that leisure-time activity was negatively, and sex, age and inclusion year were positively associated with BMI, FFMI and FMI (the exception was a negative association with sex) (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Overweight prevalence increased between 1993 and 2003 in a Swiss city, and was associated with a higher fat mass. This observation remained statistically significant after adjustment for age, sex and leisure-time activity.
Kyle
Ursula G
UG
Clinical Nutrition, Geneva University Hospital, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
Kossovsky
Michel P
MP
Genton
Laurence
L
Pichard
Claude
C
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D050177:Overweight; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology