Updated Swiss Growth References 2025: No Height Differences, but BMI Variations Associated with Migration
Urs Eiholzer1, Anika Stephan1, Ilja Dubinski1
1Center for Paediatric Endocrinology Zurich (PEZZ), Moehrlistrasse 69, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland.
Journal of Clinical Medicine
|August 28, 2025
Summary
The updated Swiss growth references, incorporating data from all regions, largely confirm previous 2019 findings for child height and weight. BMI percentiles show minor, clinically relevant differences in girls and variations linked to parental migration background.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric endocrinology and growth monitoring.
- Public health and national health statistics.
Background:
- The 2019 Swiss growth references were based on a German-speaking cohort.
- National representativeness required inclusion of data from French- and Italian-speaking regions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate and update national Swiss growth references for height, weight, and BMI.
- To assess the impact of parental migration background on child growth.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of anthropometric data from 43,290 children and adolescents (Cohort 2019 + 2025).
- Modeling of percentile curves using the Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale, and Shape (GAMLSS) framework.
Main Results:
- Extended dataset largely confirms 2019 height and weight references; variations are clinically negligible.
- Clinically relevant differences in BMI percentiles observed in girls (up to 0.8 kg/m² at 97th percentile).
- Parental migration background showed relevant differences in child BMI.
Conclusions:
- The extended Swiss Growth References (Cohort 2019 + 2025) are robust and valid for clinical practice.
- Targeted updates are necessary to maintain validity, considering demographic shifts from migration.
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