Forbes ranks Oklahoma #49 of Unhealthiest States.

[okclee]

The Healthiest And Unhealthiest States - Forbes.com


Thank God for Mississippi.

State Ranking

[OKCTalker]

Shouldn't we have a separate section for polls that rank Oklahoma in the top/bottom five of something?

[bretthexum]

I saw this. Quite sad people can't take better care of themselves...

[bbhill]

NSFW or people who are offended by language:

YouTube - Fat Guy Screams For Chicken at McDonalds

[adaniel]

NSFW or people who are offended by language:

YouTube - Fat Guy Screams For Chicken at McDonalds

WOW. Their chicken sandwiches aren't even that good. I pray that wasn't here.

Back on topic. This ranking doesn't surprise me. Fast food and sedentary lifestyles are common here, at least more so than the rest of the US. I'm actually surprised that we don't rank in the top 10 for smoking. When I first came to school here it blew me away how many people smoked or dipped. Of course this was 5 years ago so things could have changed.

[Dustin]

Well we ate the fast food capital of the world.. So there really is nothing surprising about this..

[Dustin]

Well we are the fast food capital of the world.. So there really is nothing surprising about this..

I love the irony of my typos.

[progressiveboy]

Pitiful. What an embarrasment, maybe those sidewalks and senior activity centers for MAPS 3 are a excellent idea.

[okcpulse]

Not to sound like an ass, but I wonder how much higher Oklahoma would rank if we gave southeastern Oklahoma to Arkansas. The quality of life in that part of the state is poor. But it is the prettiest part of the state. Oh well. If we can't get them out, we'll breed them out.

[adaniel]

Not to sound like an ass, but I wonder how much higher Oklahoma would rank if we gave southeastern Oklahoma to Arkansas. The quality of life in that part of the state is poor. But it is the prettiest part of the state. Oh well. If we can't get them out, we'll breed them out.

LOL! I doubt that would make much of a difference in this case since they're are just as many fatties running around OKC and Tulsa as there are in Antlers and Broken Bow. In fact every poll I've seen both cities rank ridiculously high when it comes to fast food restaurants, heart disease, tobacco use, etc. etc.

I definitely agree about the quality of life in that part of the state. Absolutely stunning landscape backdropped against a disturbingly poor and uneducated populace. A very sad irony.

[jbrown84]

Terrible. MAPS 3 will help, if we can get it passed over the cops' dead donut filled bodies.

[soonerguru]

Not to sound like an ass, but I wonder how much higher Oklahoma would rank if we gave southeastern Oklahoma to Arkansas. The quality of life in that part of the state is poor. But it is the prettiest part of the state. Oh well. If we can't get them out, we'll breed them out.

Don't kid yourself. The problem is statewide. Having spent a lot of time down there, I'm not sure what you're saying is even true. A lot of folks work outside, and while their diets may not be great, a lot of them are not sedentary. There is a lot of poverty in that part of the state, but we have our share in the Metro area, and we have a ton of fast-food restaurants here; and the chain restaurants here aren't any better for people.

With a few exceptions, trying to dine out in OKC in a healthy manner is nigh impossible.

[soonerguru]

Terrible. MAPS 3 will help, if we can get it passed over the cops' dead donut filled bodies.

LOL!

[bretthexum]

Not to sound like an ass, but I wonder how much higher Oklahoma would rank if we gave southeastern Oklahoma to Arkansas. The quality of life in that part of the state is poor. But it is the prettiest part of the state. Oh well. If we can't get them out, we'll breed them out.

I thought meth made you skinny? lol

[betts]

Again, one of the biggest problems in Oklahoma is the automobile. We drive to work. We drive to get fast food and eat it in our cars. We drive our kids to school (if they don't ride on the bus). We drive 2 blocks to the 7-11 to pick up a Coke and cheetos. We drive everywhere.

A paucity of sidewalks doesn't help. Suburban sprawl doesn't help. So, to beat a flagging horse, we need to increase walkability and we need more options for outdoor exercise. We've got great weather in comparison to many other states, and there's no reason why people can't be outdoors a lot of the time. Density plus sidewalks plus mass transit would help tremendously. If you walk to the bus or streetcar, walk to a nearby restaurant, walk through your neighborhood because you can, it all helps. We need to make sure our schools are serving healthy food to our children, we need to reduce television watching time and make sure our schools are encouraging physical activity and help parents do the same.

[iron76hd]

Pitiful. What an embarrasment, maybe those sidewalks and senior activity centers for MAPS 3 are a excellent idea.

That's it! Build the sidewalks and walking trails and that will solve the obesity problem in the State of Oklahoma. Aren't some of you educated? Common Sense anyone?

Again, one of the biggest problems in Oklahoma is the automobile

Interesting...So get rid of the guns and deaths by guns will stop. Even the crime rate will drop, by your silly statement. Guns are the enemy!!!!
The problem is not cars Doctor!!! It's complacency, apathy, or indolence. Whatever you call it. They car's not your enemy. There are plenty of GYMS. There are plenty of parks, trails, and lakes. No one want's to do the work!!!!!!

[venture]

This city is too obsessed with polls. :-P

[okyeah]

The major problem is that Oklahoma is underserved with not enough PCP (primary care physicians). That is why our ranking is so low...but the OU School of Community Medicine is trying to change this.

[betts]

One of the problems in Oklahoma City is the distance between places people live and their destinations. Even if we had less sprawl, we have no sidewalks. Ever thought about walking from Quail Springs mall to one of the restaurants on the other side of Pennsylvania? I doubt it. Ever seen anyone do it? No sidewalks. Pedestrian unfriendly intersections. I suspect people get in their cars and drive if they're both shopping and dining across the street from each. In Manhattan or Chicago people would laugh at the concept of driving to go a block. The difficulty driving and parking are a blessing in disguise, as people actually have reason to walk places.

How, in Oklahoma, do you even get to a gym, a park, a trail, a lake? You drive there, of course. We have no bike lanes to speak of, we have very few sidewalks, and our trails aren't linked. Many people cannot afford a gym. We have a car culture that discourages exercise, and that is as much a problem as our diet. It doesn't take a lot of intelligence to figure that out, especially if you look at the healthy cities. Most of them have mass transit and transit alternatives to the car. Many of them have bike lanes. Many of them are denser cities that encourage walking. Is it conceivable there is a link?

[Larry OKC]

A common thread of the many of the MAPS 3 "proposed" projects is they "will promote a healthier community."

[bombermwc]

Just take a look around the next time you go out. Count the number of overweight folks. I bet you have a more difficult time finding healthy weight folks.

We're fat and lazy...it's a perpetual cycle.

[Platemaker]

Terrible. MAPS 3 will help, if we can get it passed over the cops' dead donut filled bodies.

OUCH!
jbrown.... this is the best post that ever happened to me!

[Platemaker]

That's it! Build the sidewalks and walking trails and that will solve the obesity problem in the State of Oklahoma. Aren't some of you educated? Common Sense anyone?

Interesting...So get rid of the guns and deaths by guns will stop. Even the crime rate will drop, by your silly statement. Guns are the enemy!!!!
The problem is not cars Doctor!!! It's complacency, apathy, or indolence. Whatever you call it. They car's not your enemy. There are plenty of GYMS. There are plenty of parks, trails, and lakes. No one want's to do the work!!!!!!

Aren't YOU educated??

There is absolutely a correlation between a city's walkability and overall health. Compare any 'healthiest' list and 'walkable' list and it's obvious.

Gun's aren't the enemy... but the accessibility of guns will naturally contribute to more deaths by guns.

Cars are not the enemy.... but if easiest way from point A to point B is to drive you will naturally less walking.

Less walking (exercise in general) = more lard a****

Accessibility of parks, trails, and lakes would naturally contribute to more use.

This could go on all day.... is this the common sense to which you are referring?

Brian Walters much?

Grumpy old man syndrome maybe?

[Pete]

Here's a particularly shocking stat from the detailed report:

Since 1990, the prevalence of obesity increased from 11.6 percent to 30.9 percent of the population

So, not only is 30% of the adult population in OK clinically OBESE (not just over-weight) that number has almost tripled in less than 20 years.

At this rate, it won't be long before half the state is obese.


Also, fully 25% of all adults in Oklahoma smoke. That's amazing... Some states have only a 10% smoking rate.

AND the state is 49th in terms of getting regular physical activity.


People need to get out of their cars (or at least drive past the ubiquitous fast food joints), stop smoking and get outside and be more active.

It's one of the main reason for the emphasis on parks, trails and public transportation in OKC's MAPS 3 proposal and a lot of Tulsa's initiatives as well.

[Pete]

They car's not your enemy. There are plenty of GYMS. There are plenty of parks, trails, and lakes.

If you've ever lived anywhere else, you know this isn't close to true.

It's absolutely shocking just how few sidewalks there are in OKC, let alone bike lanes, running/biking paths, etc.

Yes, some trails have been built in the last couple of decades but as a city, we are still way behind. People love to poke fun about Cheeseheads in Wisconsin, for example, yet there are bike and running paths EVERYWHERE in Milwaukee, Madison and throughout the state. Name a city, and I could site many more examples.


When I think back on growing up in what was one of the nicer areas of NW OKC, I realize there were no sidewalks in any of the neighborhoods around me. No crosswalks at interections, very few parks and absolutely no bike lanes or paths. Even the stuff at Lake Hefner was just all mud and weeds.

But the good news is that people want to change that and there are lots of great plans on the drawing boards.


OKC is quite simply the worst city I've ever seen for people just being out of their cars and out and about. It's certainly not surprising given the almost inability to walk/ride anywhere -- even if you wanted to.