Promoting Physical Activity and Healthy Nutrition in Children and Adolescents: a Report on a Nationally Coordinated Program in Switzerland a Case Report

Overweight and obesity prevalence rates are high in Switzerland, as in most industrialized countries. Keeping children and adolescents slim must therefore be a public health priority. In 2007 Health Promotion Switzerland launched a national prevention program targeting children and adolescents as well as parents, teachers and caregivers that focused on promoting physical activity and healthy nutrition behaviors. Over the years, several hundred local and regional projects were implemented in close collaboration with the cantons: hundreds of thousands of children and adolescents were reached as well as tens of thousands of multipliers in several thousand settings (schools, daycare centers, community centers, families, etc.). The data that were collected over the years showed a slight reduction in the share of overweight and obese children and adolescents and a slight increase in healthy eating behaviors among adolescents. There was no significant change in daily physical activity over the time period studied for any given age, but there was an important drop between childhood and late adolescence. In conclusion, even though the CAPs design does not allow to conclude that the slight behavioral changes observed are directly linked to the program, it is worth noting, in a health policy perspective, that the program allowed the implementation of a multitude of health promoting activities in good coordination between various stakeholders at local, regional and federal levels.