|
Houston was voted the fattest city in 2001,2002,2003
see some of the reasons why below:
10 Fattest Cities (2001)
From Virginia Soto,
Your Guide to Chicago.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Chicago chosen as the second chunkiest city in the country
10 Fattest Cities (2006)
According to Men's Fitness magazine, America's "obesity numbers have jumped 61 percent over the past decade." Says Editor-in-Chief Jerry Kindela, "It doesn't help that 27 percent of us don't engage in any physical activity at all, and another 28.2 percent aren't regularly active."
THE TOP 10 FATTEST CITIES:
This year's findings showed Texas to be the largest state of all (in more ways than one), with four cities making the Top 10 "fattest cities" list.
The 10 fattest cities are, in descending order:
Houston, TX
Chicago, IL
Detroit, MI
Philadelphia, PA
Dallas, TX
Columbus, OH
San Antonio, TX
Fort Worth, TX
St. Louis, MO
Indianapolis, IN
THE TOP 10 FITTEST CITIES
California proved to be the slimmest state with three cities making the Top 10 "fittest cities" list. They are, in descending order:
Colorado Springs, CO
Denver, CO
San Diego, CA
Seattle, WA
San Francisco, CA
Virginia Beach, VA
Honolulu, HI
Sacramento, CA
Albuquerque, NM
Boston, MA
DATA-GATHERING METHOD
To arrive at its findings, Men's Fitness evaluated the nation's
50 largest cities between July 2001 and September 2001. Cities were assessed in 16 commensurate categories, using data specific to each city. The categories were selected as indicators, risk factors or relevant environmental factors affecting fitness, obesity and health. Sample categories include: sports participation, smoking, drinking, air and water quality, length of commute, availability of parks/open spaces and percentage of overweight/sedentary residents.
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS
The fattest cities have common patterns.
Citizens tend to have poor exercise and nutrition habits, watch a lot of television and experience more bad weather.
It's not all about warm weather.
Residents of the fittest cities tend to make fitness a priority, along with civic leaders who support them.
Fitness awareness must start in the schoolroom, not the workplace.
Stopping the current epidemic of obesity starts with children, who now spend more time in front of the television than they do at school.By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY
Pity poor Houston — dubbed the fattest city in the country for the third year in a row by Men's Fitness magazine. On the other end of the spectrum, Honolulu tops the list of fittest cities.
The rankings appear in the February issue, on stands Monday.
Fattest and fittest
The fattest cities:
1. Houston
2. Chicago
3. Detroit
4. Philadelphia
5. St. Louis
6. Cleveland
7. Atlanta
8. Columbus, Ohio
9. Dallas
10. Charlotte
The fittest cities:
1. Honolulu
2. Seattle
3. San Francisco
4. Colorado Springs
5. San Diego
6. Portland, Ore.
7. Denver
8. Virginia Beach
9. Tucson
10. Sacramento
Source: Men's Fitness magazine
Enough already, say some Houston residents. John Foreyt, an obesity researcher at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, doesn't think picking on a few cities is wise when the entire country is heavy.
"We all have to look at what we can do about this epidemic of obesity that's raging throughout this country and throughout the world," Foreyt says.
Government statistics show that almost 65% of adults in this country weigh too much; about 31% are obese, which is 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight. Being overweight can cause health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and some types of cancer.
Editor in chief Jerry Kindela says the magazine wants to draw attention to the fact that the country has gotten fatter. "It's frightening. We are supersizing ourselves into the hospital," Kindela says. "Our goal is to get everybody talking and get everybody moving."
To put together the lists, Men's Fitness looked at the nation's 50 largest cities and ranked them with more than a dozen equally weighted categories, including total number of clubs/gyms/sporting goods stores; fruit and vegetable consumption; alcohol and tobacco use; air and water quality; and parks and recreation facilities.
Some of the magazine's comments on the five fattest cities:
*****Houston. Given the region's climate (hot and humid), air quality (abysmal) and relative lack of outdoor recreation, staying active presents a Texas-style challenge. The city does have an ongoing Get Lean Houston campaign.
Chicago. The windy city blows it in terms of weather, commute time, open spaces, and poor air and water quality.
Detroit. The only time Detroiters run is when someone offers them fruits and vegetables, the magazine says.
Philadelphia. The city was dubbed the fattest in 2000, and since then the mayor and the city's health and fitness czar embarked on an ambitious anti-lard crusade.
St. Louis. Waistlines here are probably as well-rounded as the Gateway Arch, because most menus consist of burgers and beer. The city has the highest ratio of fast-food joints per capita in the survey. Ditto for bars and taverns.
|