Body Mass Index and Satisfaction with Health in Contemporary Switzerland

Abstract

Background: Overweight and obesity have been linked with several objective and subjective measures of health. However, results are mixed and this relationship seems to vary across populations, genders and age categories. This paper investigates the relationship between categories of the Body Mass Index (underweight, normal weight, overweight, obesity and severe obesity) and satisfaction with health. Methods: Data come from eleven waves of the Swiss Household Panel (2004–2014). Analyses are based on 7151 men and 8142 women aged between 18 and 75. Satisfaction with health was measured on a ten-point scale. Pooled OLS, random and fixed effects were estimated. Results: Overall, departures from the normal weight range seemed to decrease the individual satisfaction with health. Obesity and severe obesity appeared to have the strongest impact on satisfaction with health and this is particularly so in the case of women.