menuCH-Kids: An insight into the eating habits of children and adolescents in Switzerland
menuCH-Kids is the first national nutrition survey in children and adolescents in Switzerland. It provides representative data on their eating habits, health and lifestyles and it supplements the findings on adults from the menuCH survey.
Background
Representative data on eating habits is central to the Swiss Nutrition Strategy and public health. menuCH has been providing information on the dietary habits of adults since 2015. Relevant data on children and adolescents was collected for the first between 2023 and 2024. Researchers can use the raw data for further analyses.
Initial results
The initial results of menuCH-Kids show a number of positive points: most children and adolescents have an adequate energy intake, regularly eat breakfast and overall show lower levels of risk factors for chronic diseases than their peers in other countries.
At the same time, the data reveals some challenges, as around 13% of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. Fruit and vegetable consumption is rather low on average, while meat and proteins are regularly eaten in considerable quantities. Snacks and sugary drinks are an everyday staple for many. Older children and adolescents don’t exercise enough. A small proportion of 6- to 17-year-olds often eat alone or in front of a screen. Around 10% also show blood markers pointing to an increased risk of diabetes.
More information:
Access to visualised data
You can consult the main findings of the study in the FSVO Dashboard. The graphs and tables can be filtered by age, sex and region, allowing targeted evaluation of key data. The presentation is designed to provide a transparent and rapid overview of the collected data – both for professionals and for the interested public.
Additional data from the study is gradually being added to the Dashboard:
FSVO Dashboard: Nutrition for children and adolescents
Access to the raw data
Researchers can request the anonymised raw data from the menuCH-Kids survey via the FSVO Data Repository, exclusively for scientific and non-commercial purposes. The request must be submitted via the Data Repository. The applicable conditions of use are also described there.
The repository also provides all survey instruments used, including standardised questionnaires, a photo book for recording portion sizes, food diary templates and other methodological resources. Openly providing these documents facilitates further use, replication and advancement of nutritional science research.
Access the raw data:
Study design
Following a successful pilot phase in the spring of 2023, the main study was conducted over one year between 2023 and 2024. This allowed seasonal variations to be taken into account.
Who participated?
The survey was conducted in six study centres in all three main language regions: Bellinzona, Bern, Lausanne, Lucerne, St. Gallen and Zurich. A total of 1,852 randomly selected 6- to 17-year-olds took part – roughly an equal share of girls (51%) and boys (49%).
Cosa è stato rilevato?
The data is based on complementary survey methods:
- 24-hour recalls: respondents stated what they had eaten and drunk in the last 24 hours.
- Questionnaires: information on lifestyle and dietary habits.
- Physical measurements: height, weight, waist and hip measurements and blood pressure.
Stakeholders
The main study was conducted by the FSVO in collaboration with a commissioned consortium (contract no. 714001929). The following organisations were involved:
- Unisanté
- Bern University of Applied Sciences
- Università della Svizzera italiana
- Swiss Nutrition and Health Foundation
- University of Zurich
- Children’s hospital, Inselspital Bern
- Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale – Bellinzona
- Children’s hospital of Central Switzerland – Lucerne
- Children’s hospital of Eastern Switzerland
- Zurich University of Applied Sciences
- Haute école de santé Geneva
- YouGov Switzerland