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Community Info Health News
 How To Reach Us: St. Louis Front Page Community News P.O. Box 1354 St. Louis, MO 63188 http://www.slfp.com Voice: 314-771-0200 Fax: 314-771-0300 To submit news, contact: editor@slfp.com  |
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St. Louis is Ranked Ninth Fattest City ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), Dec. 27, 2001 - Men's Fitness, a national men's fitness lifestyle magazine's survey revealed St. Louis to be ninth "fattest" city in the nation's 50 largest cities. Houston - for the second year in a row - is the chunkiest city in the country. Flabby runners-up include Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and Dallas. The "fittest five" are Colorado Springs, Denver, San Diego, Seattle and San Francisco. Call it America under stress. In seeking solace from the events of 2001, many people have turned their backs on exercise to fill their faces. However, according to Men's Fitness, Americans can't attribute all the blame to current events for their expanding waistlines. "The 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." Since 1999, Men's Fitness has spearheaded an effort to get people off their couches and into the gym by providing a comprehensive analysis of the fattest and fittest cities in the country. To arrive at its findings, Men's Fitness evaluated the 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. The fattest cities have common patterns the survey reports. Citizens tend to have poor exercise and nutrition habits, watch a lot of television and experience more bad weather. Residents of the fittest cities tend to make fitness a priority, along with civic leaders who support them. Recent studies have suggested that as many as two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese, and in December the U.S. Surgeon General declared obesity a national epidemic. Obesity has become the second-leading preventable cause of death in the United States after cigarette smoking. Fat costs a ton. An estimated 300,000 Americans die of obesity-related causes each year, and the cost of obesity and inactivity account for nearly 10 percent of all health care expenses. Direct medical costs of obesity alone top $100 billion annually, and the price tag keeps skyrocketing. Communities can change. Philadelphia, 1999's "fattest city," used its dubious distinction as a catalyst to create an innovative, cost-effective fitness initiative involving community members, government and business, earning the First Annual Men's Fitness Fit City Achievement Award in the process. In 2000, Philadelphia dropped to #3, and this year the city ranks #4. Additionally, Columbus, Ohio, which has fallen into the top ten "fattest" city rankings for the last few years, has taken on the Men's Fitness Challenge by launching its own fitness plan called "Commit to Be Fit." 10,000 residents of central Ohio have already enrolled in the plan.  Archived Stories: Kids Not as Healthy and Fit as They Could Be Asthma Is A Growing Concern in St. Louis More Americans Change Their Eating Habits Due to Heath and Nutrition Concerns TFTC Challenges Comfrey Products Promoted via Internet What's the Difference Between Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke? Think Sparklers Are Safe? Think Again, Says SLUCare Opthalmologist Four-day Local Pollen Forecast Desktop Tool Helps Allergy Suffers Electronic Meal and Health Management Tool  The SLFP.com - Community Info is presented in conjunction with the St. Louis Front Page and Southwest Illinois News. The sites are owned and maintained by the Moore Design Group for the sole purpose of disseminating news and information about the Metropolitan St. Louis area. Text or graphics may not be copied, rewritten or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission. For more information, contact editor@slfp.com All rights reserved world wide © 1996 - 2008 Moore Design Group . |
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