Switzerland
- Overview
- Obesity prevalence
- Population breakdowns
- Drivers
- Comorbidities
- Policies
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National obesity risk *5.5/10This is a composite ‘obesity risk’ score (out of 10, the highest risk) based on obesity prevalence, rate of increase, likelihood of meeting the 2025 target, treatment indicator and childhood stunting levels.Childhood obesity risk *7/11This is a ‘risk score’ for each country’s likelihood of having or acquiring a major childhood obesity problem during the 2020s, taking account of current prevalence levels and risk for future obesity (based on stunting among infants, maternal obesity, maternal smoking, and breastfeeding rates).
* Based on estimated data. For more information see Publications
Obesity prevalence
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The report card collates all the most-recent graphics for this country. If you would like to produce a custom report based on selected graphics, just tap the Add to custom PDF button below the graphics you would like to use.Population breakdowns
Drivers
Comorbidities
Obesity prevalence
Adults, 2014-2015
| Survey type: | Measured |
| Age: | 18-75 |
| Sample size: | 2085 |
| Area covered: | National |
| References: | Federal Office of Public Health and the Food Safety and Veterinary Office(2017) Characteristics and indicators of eating and physical activity behaviors in the Swiss adult population Results from menuCH 2014-2015 Available at https://menuch.iumsp.ch/index.php/catalog/4 |
| Unless otherwise noted, overweight refers to a BMI between 25kg and 29.9kg/m², obesity refers to a BMI greater than 30kg/m². | |
Adults, 2011
| Survey type: | Measured |
| Age: | 35-74 |
| Sample size: | 930 |
| Area covered: | Regional |
| References: | Bus Santé Study |
| Notes: | Small sample size Sub national: Canton of Geneva |
| Unless otherwise noted, overweight refers to a BMI between 25kg and 29.9kg/m², obesity refers to a BMI greater than 30kg/m². | |
Adults, 2000-2001
| Survey type: | Measured |
| Age: | 35-74 |
| Sample size: | 2482 |
| References: | WHO Infobase. Hopitaux Universitaires de Genève |
| Unless otherwise noted, overweight refers to a BMI between 25kg and 29.9kg/m², obesity refers to a BMI greater than 30kg/m². | |
Adults, 1993
| Survey type: | Measured |
| Age: | 35-74 |
| Sample size: | Unspecified |
| Area covered: | Geneva |
| References: | Galobardes B, Costanza C, Bernstein MS, Delhumeau CH, Morabia A. Trends in Risk Factors for the Major "Lifestyle-related Diseases" in Geneva, Switzerland, 1993-2000. Ann Epidemiology 2003;13:537-540 |
| Unless otherwise noted, overweight refers to a BMI between 25kg and 29.9kg/m², obesity refers to a BMI greater than 30kg/m². | |
Children, 2017-2018
| Survey type: | Measured |
| Age: | 6-12 |
| Sample size: | 2279 |
| Area covered: | National |
| References: | Herter-Aeberli I, Osuna E, Sarnovská Z, Zimmermann MB. Significant Decrease in Childhood Obesity and Waist Circumference over 15 Years in Switzerland: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study. Nutrients. 2019 Aug 15;11(8). https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/8/1922 |
| Notes: | Based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reference values |
| Cutoffs: | CDC |
Children, 2012
| Survey type: | Measured |
| Age: | 6-12 |
| Sample size: | 2963 |
| Area covered: | National |
| References: | Murer SB, Saarsalu S, Zimmermann MB, Aeberli I. Pediatric adiposity stabilised in Switzerland between 1999 and 2012. Eur J Nutr. 2014 Apr, 53 (3): 865-75. |
| Cutoffs: | IOTF |
Children, 2007
| Survey type: | Measured |
| Age: | 6-13 |
| Sample size: | 2500 |
| Area covered: | National |
| References: | Aeberli I, Amman R.S. Knabenhans M, Molinari L, Zimmermann M.B. Decrease in the prevalence of paediatric adiposity in Switzerland from 2002 to 2007. Public Health Nutr. 2010 Jun;13(6):806-11 |
| Notes: | Sample size is approximate The BMI references from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were used to determine the prevalences of underweight (<5th percentile), overweight (>or=85th and <95th percentile) and obesity (>or=95th percentile). |
| Cutoffs: | CDC |
Children, 2002
| Survey type: | Measured |
| Age: | 6-12 |
| Sample size: | 2431 |
| Area covered: | National |
| References: | Zimmermann MB, Gubeli C, Puntener C, Monlinari L. Overweight and obesity in 6-12year old children in Switzerland. Swiss Medical Weekly 2004;134:523-528 |
| Notes: | IOTF Cut off. Reference: Cole TJ, Bellizzi MC, Flegal KM, Dietz WH. Establishing a standard definition for child overweight and obesity worldwide: International survey. BMJ. 2000 May 6;320(7244):1240-3 |
| Cutoffs: | IOTF |
Overweight/obesity by education
Adults, 2014-2015
| Survey type: | Measured |
| Age: | 18-75 |
| Sample size: | 2085 |
| Area covered: | National |
| References: | Federal Office of Public Health and the Food Safety and Veterinary Office(2017) Characteristics and indicators of eating and physical activity behaviors in the Swiss adult population Results from menuCH 2014-2015 Available at https://menuch.iumsp.ch/index.php/catalog/4 |
| Unless otherwise noted, overweight refers to a BMI between 25kg and 29.9kg/m², obesity refers to a BMI greater than 30kg/m². | |
Men, 2007
| Survey type: | Self-reported |
| Age: | 18+ |
| Sample size: | 17,879 |
| Area covered: | National |
| References: | Marques-Vidal P, Bovet P, Paccaud F, Chiolero A. Changes of overweight and obesity in the adult Swiss population according to educational level, from 1992 to 2007. BMC Public Health. 2010;10:87. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-10-87. |
| Unless otherwise noted, overweight refers to a BMI between 25kg and 29.9kg/m², obesity refers to a BMI greater than 30kg/m². | |
Women, 2007
| Survey type: | Self-reported |
| Age: | 18+ |
| Sample size: | 17,879 |
| Area covered: | National |
| References: | Marques-Vidal P, Bovet P, Paccaud F, Chiolero A. Changes of overweight and obesity in the adult Swiss population according to educational level, from 1992 to 2007. BMC Public Health. 2010;10:87. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-10-87. |
| Unless otherwise noted, overweight refers to a BMI between 25kg and 29.9kg/m², obesity refers to a BMI greater than 30kg/m². | |
Children, 2005-2006
| Survey type: | Measured |
| Age: | 10-14 |
| Sample size: | 5207 |
| Area covered: | Canton of Vaud |
| References: | Lasserre, A. M., Chiolero, A., Cachat, F., Paccaud, F. and Bovet, P. (2007), Overweight in Swiss Children and Associations With Children's and Parents’ Characteristics. Obesity, 15: 2912–2919. doi: 10.1038/oby.2007.347 |
| Notes: | Prevalence of overweight (including obesity) by Parents Education. Overweight and obesity were based on the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria. |
| Cutoffs: | IOTF |
Overweight/obesity by age
Adults, 2014-2015
| Survey type: | Measured |
| Sample size: | 2085 |
| Area covered: | National |
| References: | Federal Office of Public Health and the Food Safety and Veterinary Office(2017) Characteristics and indicators of eating and physical activity behaviors in the Swiss adult population Results from menuCH 2014-2015 Available at https://menuch.iumsp.ch/index.php/catalog/4 |
| Unless otherwise noted, overweight refers to a BMI between 25kg and 29.9kg/m², obesity refers to a BMI greater than 30kg/m². | |
Adults, 2012
| Survey type: | Self-reported |
| Sample size: | 21602 |
| Area covered: | National |
| References: | Information kindly supplied by Prof Ulrich Keller, FMH Endokrinologie-Diabetologie. Reference: Schweizerische Gesundheitsbefragung 2012 (data available in English in Schneider H, Venetz W (2014). Cost of Obesity in Switzerland in 2012, Final Report |
| Unless otherwise noted, overweight refers to a BMI between 25kg and 29.9kg/m², obesity refers to a BMI greater than 30kg/m². | |
Adults, 1992-1993
| Survey type: | Self-reported |
| Sample size: | 15288 |
| Area covered: | National |
| References: | Information kindly supplied by Prof Ulrich Keller, FMH Endokrinologie-Diabetologie. Reference: Schweizerische Gesundheitsbefragung 2012 (data available in English in Schneider H, Venetz W (2014). Cost of Obesity in Switzerland in 2012, Final Report |
| Unless otherwise noted, overweight refers to a BMI between 25kg and 29.9kg/m², obesity refers to a BMI greater than 30kg/m². | |
Overweight/obesity by region
Adults, 2014-2015
| Survey type: | Measured |
| Age: | 18-75 |
| Sample size: | 2085 |
| Area covered: | National |
| References: | Federal Office of Public Health and the Food Safety and Veterinary Office(2017) Characteristics and indicators of eating and physical activity behaviors in the Swiss adult population Results from menuCH 2014-2015 Available at https://menuch.iumsp.ch/index.php/catalog/4 |
| Unless otherwise noted, overweight refers to a BMI between 25kg and 29.9kg/m², obesity refers to a BMI greater than 30kg/m². | |
Children, 2005-2006
| Survey type: | Measured |
| Age: | 10-14 |
| Sample size: | 5207 |
| Area covered: | Canton of Vaud |
| References: | Lasserre, A. M., Chiolero, A., Cachat, F., Paccaud, F. and Bovet, P. (2007), Overweight in Swiss Children and Associations With Children's and Parents’ Characteristics. Obesity, 15: 2912–2919. doi: 10.1038/oby.2007.347 |
| Notes: | Overweight and obesity were based on the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria. |
| Cutoffs: | IOTF |
Overweight/obesity by socio-economic group
Children, 2011-2012
| Survey type: | Measured |
| Age: | 5-14 |
| Sample size: | 8544 |
| Area covered: | Canton of Geneva |
| References: | Jeannot E, Mahler P, Elia N, Cerruti B, Chastonnay P. Sociodemographic and Economic Determinants of Overweight and Obesity for Public-school Children in Geneva State, Switzerland: A Cross-sectional Study. International Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2015;6:39. doi:10.4103/2008-7802.156836. |
| Notes: | Prevalence of overweight and obesity by socio-professional categories of the child's Father. To identify overweight and obesity, the definition issued by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) was used. |
| Cutoffs: | IOTF |
Children, 2011-2012
| Survey type: | Measured |
| Age: | 5-14 |
| Sample size: | 8544 |
| Area covered: | Canton of Geneva |
| References: | Jeannot E, Mahler P, Elia N, Cerruti B, Chastonnay P. Sociodemographic and Economic Determinants of Overweight and Obesity for Public-school Children in Geneva State, Switzerland: A Cross-sectional Study. International Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2015;6:39. doi:10.4103/2008-7802.156836. |
| Notes: | Prevalence of overweight and obesity by district of residence. To identify overweight and obesity, the definition issued by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) was used. |
| Cutoffs: | IOTF |
Insufficient physical activity
Adults, 2016
| References: | Guthold R, Stevens GA, Riley LM, Bull FC. Worldwide trends in insufficient physical activity from 2001 to 2016: a pooled analysis of 358 population-based surveys with 1.9 million participants. Lancet 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(18)30357-7 |
Men, 2016
| References: | Guthold R, Stevens GA, Riley LM, Bull FC. Worldwide trends in insufficient physical activity from 2001 to 2016: a pooled analysis of 358 population-based surveys with 1.9 million participants. Lancet 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(18)30357-7 |
Women, 2016
| References: | Guthold R, Stevens GA, Riley LM, Bull FC. Worldwide trends in insufficient physical activity from 2001 to 2016: a pooled analysis of 358 population-based surveys with 1.9 million participants. Lancet 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(18)30357-7 |
Children, 2016
| Survey type: | Self-reported |
| Age: | 11-17 |
| References: | Global Health Observatory data repository, World Health Organisation, https://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A893ADO?lang=en (last accessed 16.03.21) |
| Notes: | % of school going adolescents not meeting WHO recommendations on Physical Activity for Health, i.e. doing less than 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily. |
| Definitions: | % Adolescents insufficiently active (age standardised estimate) |
Boys, 2016
| Survey type: | Self-reported |
| Age: | 11-17 |
| References: | Global Health Observatory data repository, World Health Organisation, https://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A893ADO?lang=en (last accessed 16.03.21) |
| Notes: | % of school going adolescents not meeting WHO recommendations on Physical Activity for Health, i.e. doing less than 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily. |
| Definitions: | % Adolescents insufficiently active (age standardised estimate) |
Girls, 2016
| Survey type: | Self-reported |
| Age: | 11-17 |
| References: | Global Health Observatory data repository, World Health Organisation, https://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A893ADO?lang=en (last accessed 16.03.21) |
| Notes: | % of school going adolescents not meeting WHO recommendations on Physical Activity for Health, i.e. doing less than 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily. |
| Definitions: | % Adolescents insufficiently active (age standardised estimate) |
Children, 2010
| Age: | 11-17 |
| References: | Global Health Observatory data repository, World Health Organisation, http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A893?lang=en |
| Notes: | % of school going adolescents not meeting WHO recommendations on Physical Activity for Health, i.e. doing less than 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily. |
| Definitions: | % Adolescents insufficiently active (age standardised estimate) |
Boys, 2010
| Age: | 11-17 |
| References: | Global Health Observatory data repository, World Health Organisation, http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A893?lang=en |
| Notes: | % of school going adolescents not meeting WHO recommendations on Physical Activity for Health, i.e. doing less than 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily. |
| Definitions: | % Adolescents insufficiently active (age standardised estimate) |
Girls, 2010
| Age: | 11-17 |
| References: | Global Health Observatory data repository, World Health Organisation, http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A893?lang=en |
| Notes: | % of school going adolescents not meeting WHO recommendations on Physical Activity for Health, i.e. doing less than 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily. |
| Definitions: | % Adolescents insufficiently active (age standardised estimate) |
Prevalence of at least daily carbonated soft drink consumption
Children, 2010-2014
| Survey type: | Measured |
| References: | World Health Organization. (2017). Adolescent obesity and related behaviours: Trends and inequalities in the who european region, 2002-2014: observations from the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) WHO collaborative cross-national study (J. Inchley, D. Currie, J. Jewel, J. Breda, & V. Barnekow, Eds.). World Health Organization. Sourced from Food Systems Dashboard http://www.foodsystemsdashboard.org |
| Notes: | 15-year-old adolescents |
| Definitions: | Prevalence of at least daily carbonated soft drink consumption (% of at least daily carbonated soft drink consumption) |
Estimated per capita fruit intake
Adults, 2017
| Survey type: | Measured |
| Age: | 25+ |
| References: | Global Burden of Disease, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation http://ghdx.healthdata.org/ |
| Definitions: | Estimated per-capita fruit intake (g/day) |
Prevalence of less than daily fruit consumption
Children, 2010-2014
| Survey type: | Measured |
| References: | Global School-based Student Health Surveys. Beal et al (2019). Global Patterns of Adolescent Fruit, Vegetable, Carbonated Soft Drink, and Fast-food consumption: A meta-analysis of global school-based student health surveys. Food and Nutrition Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1177/0379572119848287. Sourced from Food Systems Dashboard http://www.foodsystemsdashboard.org/food-system |
| Definitions: | Prevalence of less-than-daily fruit consumption (% less-than-daily fruit consumption) |
Prevalence of less than daily vegetable consumption
Children, 2010-2014
| Survey type: | Measured |
| Age: | 12-17 |
| References: | Beal et al. (2019). Global Patterns of Adolescent Fruit, Vegetable, Carbonated Soft Drink, and Fast-food consumption: A meta-analysis of global school-based student health surveys. Food and Nutrition Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1177/0379572119848287 sourced from Food Systems Dashboard http://www.foodsystemsdashboard.org/food-system |
| Definitions: | Prevalence of less-than-daily vegetable consumption (% less-than-daily vegetable consumption) |
Estimated per-capita processed meat intake
Adults, 2017
| Survey type: | Measured |
| Age: | 25+ |
| References: | Global Burden of Disease, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation http://ghdx.healthdata.org/ |
| Definitions: | Estimated per-capita processed meat intake (g per day) |
Estimated per capita whole grains intake
Adults, 2017
| Survey type: | Measured |
| Age: | 25+ |
| References: | Global Burden of Disease, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation http://ghdx.healthdata.org/ |
| Definitions: | Estimated per-capita whole grains intake (g/day) |
Mental health - depression disorders
Adults, 2015
| References: | Prevalence data from Global Burden of Disease study 2015 (http://ghdx.healthdata.org) published in: Depression and Other Common Mental Disorders: Global Health Estimates. Geneva:World Health Organization; 2017. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. |
| Definitions: | % of population with depression disorders |
Mental health - anxiety disorders
Adults, 2015
| References: | Prevalence data from Global Burden of Disease study 2015 (http://ghdx.healthdata.org) published in: Depression and Other Common Mental Disorders: Global Health Estimates. Geneva:World Health Organization; 2017. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. |
| Definitions: | % of population with anxiety disorders |
Oesophageal cancer
Men, 2018
| Age: | 20+ |
| References: | Global Cancer Observatory, Cancer incidence rates http://gco.iarc.fr/ (last accessed 30th June 2020) |
| Definitions: | Estimated age-standardized incidence rates (World) in 2018, oesophagus, adults ages 20+. ASR (World) per 100,000 |
Women, 2018
| Age: | 20+ |
| References: | Global Cancer Observatory, Cancer incidence rates http://gco.iarc.fr/ (last accessed 30th June 2020) |
| Definitions: | Estimated age-standardized incidence rates (World) in 2018, oesophagus, adults ages 20+. ASR (World) per 100,000 |
Breast cancer
Women, 2018
| Age: | 20+ |
| References: | Global Cancer Observatory, Cancer incidence rates http://gco.iarc.fr/ (last accessed 30th June 2020) |
| Definitions: | Estimated age-standardized incidence rates (World) in 2018, breast, females, ages 20+. ASR (World) per 100,000 |
Colorectal cancer
Men, 2018
| Age: | 20+ |
| References: | Global Cancer Observatory, Cancer incidence rates http://gco.iarc.fr/ (last accessed 30th June 2020) |
| Definitions: | Estimated age-standardized incidence rates (World) in 2018, colorectum, adults, ages 20+. ASR (World) per 100,000 |
Women, 2018
| Age: | 20+ |
| References: | Global Cancer Observatory, Cancer incidence rates http://gco.iarc.fr/ (last accessed 30th June 2020) |
| Definitions: | Estimated age-standardized incidence rates (World) in 2018, colorectum, adults, ages 20+. ASR (World) per 100,000 |
Pancreatic cancer
Men, 2018
| Age: | 20+ |
| References: | Global Cancer Observatory, Cancer incidence rates http://gco.iarc.fr/ (last accessed 30th June 2020) |
| Definitions: | Estimated age-standardized incidence rates (World) in 2018, pancreas, adults, ages 20+. ASR (World) per 100,000 |
Women, 2018
| Age: | 20+ |
| References: | Global Cancer Observatory, Cancer incidence rates http://gco.iarc.fr/ (last accessed 30th June 2020) |
| Definitions: | Estimated age-standardized incidence rates (World) in 2018, pancreas, adults, ages 20+. ASR (World) per 100,000 |
Gallbladder cancer
Men, 2018
| Age: | 20+ |
| References: | Global Cancer Observatory, Cancer incidence rates http://gco.iarc.fr/ (last accessed 30th June 2020) |
| Definitions: | Estimated age-standardized incidence rates (World) in 2018, gallbladder, adults, ages 20+. ASR (World) per 100,000 |
Women, 2018
| Age: | 20+ |
| References: | Global Cancer Observatory, Cancer incidence rates http://gco.iarc.fr/ (last accessed 30th June 2020) |
| Definitions: | Estimated age-standardized incidence rates (World) in 2018, gallbladder, adults, ages 20+. ASR (World) per 100,000 |
Kidney cancer
Men, 2018
| Age: | 20+ |
| References: | Global Cancer Observatory, Cancer incidence rates http://gco.iarc.fr/ (last accessed 30th June 2020) |
| Definitions: | Estimated age-standardized incidence rates (World) in 2018, kidney, adults, ages 20+. ASR (World) per 100,000 |
Women, 2018
| Age: | 20+ |
| References: | Global Cancer Observatory, Cancer incidence rates http://gco.iarc.fr/ (last accessed 30th June 2020) |
| Definitions: | Estimated age-standardized incidence rates (World) in 2018, kidney, adults, ages 20+. ASR (World) per 100,000 |
Cancer of the uterus
Women, 2018
| Age: | 20+ |
| References: | Global Cancer Observatory, Cancer incidence rates http://gco.iarc.fr/ (last accessed 30th June 2020) |
| Definitions: | Estimated age-standardized incidence rates (World) in 2018, cervix uteri, females, ages 20+. ASR (World) per 100,000 |
Raised blood pressure
Adults, 2015
| References: | Global Health Observatory data repository, World Health Organisation, http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A875?lang=en |
| Definitions: | Age Standardised estimated % Raised blood pressure 2015 (SBP>=140 OR DBP>=90). |
Men, 2015
| References: | Global Health Observatory data repository, World Health Organisation, http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A875?lang=en |
| Definitions: | Age Standardised estimated % Raised blood pressure 2015 (SBP>=140 OR DBP>=90). |
Women, 2015
| References: | Global Health Observatory data repository, World Health Organisation, http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A875?lang=en |
| Definitions: | Age Standardised estimated % Raised blood pressure 2015 (SBP>=140 OR DBP>=90). |
Raised cholesterol
Adults, 2008
| References: | Global Health Observatory data repository, World Health Organisation, http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A885 |
| Definitions: | % Raised total cholesterol (>= 5.0 mmol/L) (age-standardized estimate). |
Men, 2008
| References: | Global Health Observatory data repository, World Health Organisation, http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A885 |
| Definitions: | % Raised total cholesterol (>= 5.0 mmol/L) (age-standardized estimate). |
Women, 2008
| References: | Global Health Observatory data repository, World Health Organisation, http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A885 |
| Definitions: | % Raised total cholesterol (>= 5.0 mmol/L) (age-standardized estimate). |
Raised fasting blood glucose
Men, 2014
| References: | Global Health Observatory data repository, World Health Organisation, http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A869?lang=en |
| Definitions: | Age Standardised % raised fasting blood glucose (>= 7.0 mmol/L or on medication). |
Women, 2014
| References: | Global Health Observatory data repository, World Health Organisation, http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A869?lang=en |
| Definitions: | Age Standardised % raised fasting blood glucose (>= 7.0 mmol/L or on medication). |
Diabetes prevalence
Adults, 2017
| References: | Reproduced with kind permission of IDF, International Diabetes Federation. IDF Diabetes Atlas, 8th edition. Brussels, Belgium: International Diabetes Federation, 2017. http://www.diabetesatlas.org |
| Definitions: | Diabetes age-adjusted comparative prevalence (%). |
