Overweight and obesity in Sweden. A five year follow-up, 2004-2008

The number of overweight and obese persons increased through the 1980s and 1990s in Sweden, for instance for men from 35% in 1980 to 52% in 2007. This study investigated whether this trend continued over the past 5 years, including trends for diet and physical activity.

The sampling frame in these surveys was established from the Swedish National Registry where all people registered in Sweden between 18 and 84 years in 2004 and 16-84 years in 2005-08 were included.

There were no changes in the number of overweight (approximately 42% for men and 27% for women) and obese (approximately 11% for both men and women) persons between 2004 and 2008. Approximately 65% of the men and 64% of the women were physically active for an average of 30 minutes per day in 2008. Thirteen percent of women and 5% of men reported consuming at least five servings of fruit and vegetables per day during the 5-year period.

Sweden seems to have reached a steady state regarding overweight and obesity. It would probably be fruitful to further discuss life-style issues, such as diet and physical activity, in the Swedish healthcare system and how to deal with the social gradient.