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Completed

NCT Number: NCT07204860

menuCH-Kids, the First Swiss National Nutrition Survey in Children and Adolescents

Public health study on the nutritional status and eating habits of children and adolescents in Switzerland

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Key information

Conditions

Nutrition Assessment Behavior Behavior, Animal Biomarkers Diet Habits Feeding Behavior Healthy Adolescents Healthy Children Population Study Random Sample Switzerland

Age range

6 year–17 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Ospedale Regionale di Bellinzona, Istituto Pediatrico della Svizzera Italiana, Bellinzona, Switzerland

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About this study

This multicentric descriptive cross-sectional observational study, including randomly selected children from 6 to 17 years old living in six regions of Switzerland (Vaud, Bern, Zurich, Luzern, St Gallen, Ticino), provide valuable information on the nutritional status of Swiss children.

The aims of this study were to 1) characterize the diet and health behaviors of children and adolescents (who eats what, how much, when, where and with whom); 2) determine the nutritional status, energy and macro- and micro-nutrient intake of children and adolescents; 3) estimate the daily intake of contaminants and other harmful substances; 4) derive population-based national reference values for selected micronutrients and vitamins.

It collected high quality representative data on food consumption, dietary and health behaviours (two 24h recalls, which are extensive interviews qualitative and quantitative about the diet of the previous day, and an online questionnaire on food propensity and dietary habits, lifestyle and sociodemographic data) as well as anthropometric and body composition parameters, blood pressure and biological samples (urine spot, optional venous blood).

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Healthy and free-living children aged between 6 and 17 years
  • Permanent residents in Switzerland
  • Participants and their legal guardian(s) must be able to read and speak German, French or Italian
  • Informed consent provided

Exclusion criteria

  • Known severe chronic disease (e.g. renal, gastrointestinal, cognitive disorder)
  • Hospitalization (overnight stay in the last four weeks before the visit)
  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding
  • Insufficient knowledge of German, French or Italian or inability to understand the study and/or to provide informed consent
  • Inability to come to recruitment center
  • Refusal to be informed about study incidental findings concerning the child

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. Dietary intake

    Time frame: baseline

    Dietary intake was captured using two 24-hours recalls using GloboDiet, a multi-pass semi-automatic software, as well as a short food propensity questionaire (FPQ).

  2. Nutritional biomarkers

    Time frame: baseline

    Several nutritional biomarkers will be measured in urine and blood, including blood formula, glycated heamoglobin, lipids (cholesterol types, triglycerides), vitamins (D, B9, B12, beta-caroten), ferritin, calcium. More anaylsis will be performed as the biobanked samples will be analysed, a complete updated list will be available on the study data repository.

  3. physical measurements

    Time frame: baseline

    weight (kg), height (cm), blood pressure (mmHg), waist and hip circumference (cm)

  4. Lifestyle

    Time frame: baseline

    A questionnaire containing lifestyle information, including physical activity, screentime, sleep, eating and cooking habits, dietary supplements, health status. The full questionnaire content is available on the data repository website.

  5. socio-demographic information

    Time frame: baseline

    The questionnaire include information about the household, including parent's education and job type, household size, nationality etc. We also have information from the Federal Office of statistics, including typology of their adress (urban vs rural), a spatial socioeconomic proxy (Swiss-SEP), sex and age of the participant... A complete list is available on the study data repository.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisante), University of Lausanne, Switzerland

Other

Collaborators

  • Bern University of Applied Sciences
  • Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office
  • Haute école spécialisée de Suisse occidentale
  • Kinderklinik Inselspital
  • Kinderspital Luzern
  • Ospedale Regionale di Bellinzona
  • Ostschweizer Kinderspital
  • Swiss Nutrition and Health Foundation
  • Università della Svizzera italiana
  • Universität Zürich
  • YouGov Schweiz
  • Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften

Registry information

Acronym: menuCH-Kids

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Oct 2, 2025
Registry last updated
Oct 2, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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