Fittest and Fattest Cities

[Patrick]

In case you were wondering, here are lists of the fittest and fattest cities:

Fittest Cities:
1. Seattle

2. Honolulu

3. Colorado Springs, Colo.

4. San Francisco

5. Denver

6. Portland, Ore.

7. Sacramento, Calif.

8. Tucson, Ariz.

9. San Diego

10. Albuquerque, N.M.

11. Boston

12. Virginia Beach, Va.

13. Minneapolis

14. Fresno

15. Milwaukee

16. Omaha, Neb.

17. San Jose, Calif.

18. Jacksonville, Fla.

19. Austin, Texas

20. Oakland

21. Los Angeles

22. Arlington, Texas

23. Washington, D.C.

24. Cleveland, Ohio

25. Nashville, Tenn.

Source: Men's Fitness magazine.
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'Fattest' cities

1. Houston

2. Philadelphia

3. Detroit

4. Memphis, Tenn.

5. Chicago

6. Dallas

7. New Orleans

8. New York

9. Las Vegas

10. San Antonio

11. El Paso, Texas

12. Phoenix

13. Indianapolis

14. Fort Worth, Texas

15. Mesa, Ariz.

16. Columbus, Ohio

17. Wichita, Kan.

18. Kansas City, Mo.

19. Miami, Fla.

20. Long Beach, Calif.

21. Oklahoma City

22. Tulsa

23. Atlanta

24. Charlotte, N.C.

25. Baltimore

[Keith]

We are #21 on the fattest, thanks to McDonald's, Taco Bell, KFC, Long John Silver's, Burger King, Wendy's.....and the list goes on......

Of course, special thanks to us for not eating healthier.

[mranderson]

We are #21 on the fattest, thanks to McDonald's, Taco Bell, KFC, Long John Silver's, Burger King, Wendy's.....and the list goes on......

Of course, special thanks to us for not eating healthier.

When they weighed ME, Oklahoma City went from the number one leanest city to the number 21 fattest.

[Luke]

So, it's all your fault, mranderson?

Perhaps you should visit the health forum more often.

[Floating_adrift]

I can see why Seattle is number 1. I lived in Bellingham for several years and there were literally hundreds of great things to do outside every day! Every weekend was like a vacation - hiking, biking, camping, boating, fishing, skiing, etc, etc, etc - no sitting at home watching TV.

[Patrick]

I think projects like the city trail system will help....but it's just a start. Fact is, every city has fast food restaurants. Okies just need to get a little more educated about dieting.

If you need some info. on dieting, check out this past Sunday's paper, main section, page 4. Oh, here's the link: http://www.newsok.com/article/1398987/. A dear friend of mine, Jacqui Bradshaw lost over 100 punds by changing her diet and working with a personal trainer. It was a long process, but she looks excellent now and has even gotten off several medications for blood pressure and asthma. If you need educating, get a hold of Warren Jones, personal trainer at the Lighthouse! He's excellent.

[Midtowner]

What were we last year? I recall a top-10 placement.

There can't be that much deviation in such a small period without some very significant factors changing things.

Of course, the most propable explanation is that this study is junk-science and should be completely disregarded. Does this study release its methodology?

[Patrick]

Not sure Midtowner! It was just published in the Oklahoman and really didn't have any test references. I'm not sure what they base their results on.

[Midtowner]

How We Did It
The 50 largest U.S. cities were selected using the most recent United States Census Bureau statistics available at the time of the survey, which was conducted from August 2004 through October 2004. Cities were assessed in 14 equally weighted categories, using data specific to each city, except as noted when data was available only for a metropolitan statistical area or for a state. (When no data was available, an average score was assigned.) The categories were selected as indicators, risk factors or relevant environmental determinants affecting fitness, obesity and health.

The cities were ranked first to last and assigned numerical grades based on a relative curve. The scores were then translated into letter grades, which, while a more familiar point of reference, eliminated some of the scoring nuances. Since the survey is based on a comparative scale, with cities ranked solely in relation to each other, some positions and grades may have shifted from last year without necessarily indicating significant statistical changes.

Gyms/Sporting Goods
Composite score, equally weighing (a) total number of clubs, gyms and fitness studios ranked per 100,000 population, from YellowPages.com; and (b) total number of sporting-goods retailers ranked per 100,000 population, from YellowPages.com.

Nutrition
Composite score, equally weighing (a) average frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption (percent that consumes five or more servings per day) in state-level data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; and (b) total number of health-food stores ranked per 100,000 population, from YellowPages.com.

Exercise/Sports
Total participation in 103 sports and fitness-related activities. Measured by participants per 100 residents for the top 30 metropolitan statistical areas and by state. State-level data used when no metropolitan data available. Honolulu and Wichita, not surveyed, were given average scores. Data from the Superstudy of Sports Participation Geographic Supplement, from American Sports Data Inc.

Overweight/Sedentary
Composite score according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, equally weighing (a) percentage of population that is obese; (b) percentage of population at risk for health problems related to being overweight; (c) percentage of population at risk for health problems related to lack of exercise; and (d) percentage of population not participating in physical activity. SMART (selected metropolitan-micropolitan area risk trends) data used for specific cities. State data used where city data unavailable.

Junk Food
Total number of fast-food outlets, pizza parlors, ice cream shops and doughnut stores ranked per 100,000 population, from YellowPages.com.

Alcohol
Composite score, equally weighing (a) total number of bars/taverns ranked per 100,000 population, from YellowPages.com; and (b) apparent alcohol consumption by state, from the surveillance report of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

TV
Metered Market HUT (Homes Using Television) Analysis, Primetime, June 1, 2003-May 31, 2004, from Nielsen Media Research. Average or regional scores assigned to cities where specific data unavailable.

Air Quality
The air-quality index is based on annual reports from the Environmental Protection Agency. The number of ozone-alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of pollutants, including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. From Sperling's Best Places.

Climate
The climate index is based on National Weather Service data combining estimated annual days above 32 degrees and below 90 degrees, amounts of precipitation and sunshine, and the August heat/humidity index.

Geography
Accessible recreational forests, lakes, rivers, waterways, mountains, and ocean beaches, compiled from almanacs and additional sources.

Commute
Based on the Travel Time Index, which measures traffic delays due to congestion, according to the Urban Mobility Report from the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University. Average score for small cities assigned to Tulsa and Wichita.

Parks/Open Space
Composite score, equally weighing (a) total acreage per 10,000 population of federal and state recreation areas plus all listed water areas, from the Places Rated Almanac; (b) number of city parks per 10,000 population, according to a 2004 Men's Fitness custom survey; and (c) acres of city parks and recreational open space per 10,000 population, according to a 2004 Men's Fitness custom survey.

Recreation Facilities
Composite score based on totals per 10,000 population, from a a 2004 Men's Fitness custom survey, equally weighing (a) number of public basketball courts; (b) number of public swimming pools; (c) number of public tennis courts; and (d) number of public golf courses.

Health Care
Based on city-by-city ranking of health resources, access, cost of hospital stay, and cost of doctors' visits, as measured by Sperling's Best Places.

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So yes, essentially, junk science.