NYC 8th (!!) fattest city according to survey

[metmagic]

Seattle apparently is the FITTEST city while Houston the fattest... how did NYC get on the fat list??? :eek: that ain't good! :no: but we walk like 20 miles a day!?


The fittest and fattest cities in America, according to a survey in the February issue of "Men’s Fitness" magazine:

Fittest
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.

Fattest
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


here's the article....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6790560/GT1=6065



boston made the FIT list with the #11 spot. i can't believe chicago is one of the fattest :confused: i thought all y'all ran around that LAKE!

[CitySkyline]

I read about this and feel the whole methodology of arriving at that list is flawed. Here's how the article describes it:

"In its nonscientific Seventh Annual Fattest and Fittest Cities Report, the magazine compares 50 cities by weighing 14 factors, including fast food restaurants per capita, TV watching, air quality, and parks."

So, the way I see it, NY probably lost points because of its many fast food restaurants and possibly its air quality. You'll notice it doesn't note if TV watching is done by someone who's fit (ie, goes to the gym) or a couch potato. So what if people watch TV? That in it of itself doesn't mean much...

The other thing (which is missing in that link but I read elsewhere) is that last year, NY was very far from the top-ten in "fattest" and now suddenly this year they're in the top 10? Why???

Sounds rather fishy to me...

[CitySkyline]

OK, here's another article with more details:

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/99/105092.htm

It has a more complete list of the factors. Not sure how those factors by themselves paint any sort of picture at all! For example, "Commute"? What does that tell anyone? Climate??? Huh? Geography? So because NYC has no mountains, it loses points? Puh-leeze!

================
* Gyms/Sporting goods: The total number of clubs, gyms, and fitness studios as well as the total number of sporting-goods retailers ranked per 100,000 population.
* Nutrition: Based on the average frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption and total number of health food stores ranked per 100,000 population.
* Exercise/Sports: Total participation in 103 sports and fitness-related activities.
* Overweight/Sedentary: Percentage of obese, overweight, and non-exercisers based on CDC data.
* Junk Food: Total number of fast-food outlets, pizza parlors, ice cream shops, and doughnut stores ranked per 100,000 population.
* Alcohol: Based on total number of bars/taverns ranked per 100,000 population and apparent alcohol consumption by state from federal statistics.
* TV: Home use of televisions.
* Air Quality: Based on annual EPA reports.
* Climate: The climate index was based on National Weather Service information 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.
* Parks/Open Space: Based on total acreage per 10,000 population of federal and state recreation areas plus all listed water areas and number of city parks per 10,000 population.
* Recreation Facilities: Number of public basketball courts, swimming pools, tennis courts, and golf courses per 10,000 population.
* Health Care: Based on city-by-city ranking of health resources and access.
================

I just find it "suspicious" that last year, NYC was ranked #21 for "Fattest" and now suddenly it's 8th???

[imgreat95]

see.. i have always hated this study... basically, it does nothing more than to show people have greater "potential" to be fat... not that they actually are.

[Obri]

As an outsider with an objective view things, I find this very surprising. Granted I have only visited a few cities on the West and East coasts, but I found New York to be somewaht "lighter" than the average population. I guess it's because you guys do so much walking and stuff, but I do find that ranking very hard to buy.

[Nanner]

I agree with all of you.

The study is flawed.

For all the reasons Chuck brought up. :thumbsup:

:D

[PopTop]

I think the study is spot-on. I've been telling people for years that the reason I'm overweight is all that fatty, carbo-laden air I was breathing in Houston all those years.

;)

[Nanner]

I think the study is spot-on. I've been telling people for years that the reason I'm overweight is all that fatty, carbo-laden air I was breathing in Houston all those years.

;)

:lmao:

[metmagic]

I think the study is spot-on. I've been telling people for years that the reason I'm overweight is all that fatty, carbo-laden air I was breathing in Houston all those years.

;)

:laff:


seriously though, i'm surprised Houston's at the top of that list. any idea why?

i thought columbus, ohio and other cities in the midwest would be at the top...

[PopTop]

No idea why, how, when, who, what or where on this poll. I find it very interesting that the last item in the list of criteria is "health resources." Houston has long been one of the best cities in terms of trauma care, medical innovations, etc.

Here's another thing that I find interesting: This Wednesday it will have been exactly 8 years and 9 months (but who's counting :D) since my best friend died of a heart attack at the age of 42. He was in super shape, one would probably look at him and say he was even on the thin side. Yet he was always battling his blood pressure and cholesterol whereas my fat butt has always been in the "good" range for both of those factors.

What strikes me as wrong here is there is a big difference between being overweight/unfit and being thin/fit. Why isn't the poll listing the "fattest" cities compared to the "thinnest" cities, or the "unhealthiest" cities and the "healthiest" cities? It seems like they're combining two disparate ideas for this. Being overweight doesn't mean you aren't healthier than someone who is thinner than you.

[Durango53]

Being overweight doesn't mean you aren't healthier than someone who is thinner than you.
That is it right there.

I had a Doc tell me I was overweight after he looked at this height to weight chart... He said I should be at 159 at the high end... I laughed my ass off at him.

I work out every day (I have took 4 days off) I roller blade every day in the summer I walk my dogs all the time I play ball about year around (softball, football, basketball and thinking of getting in a dodge ball league :D ) I have a beer gut but that is about it.

I have had my cholesterol checked and it is great!!! My blood pressure is great.

But if you go by the chart that a lot of these studies and people go by I am very obese. I feel most of these are a joke...

If you are getting your blood checked and it is good to go and you feel good about yourself you are good to go...

[Chisox73]

i can't believe chicago is one of the fattest :confused: i thought all y'all ran around that LAKE!
Only when the weather is nice.It's kind of hard to do that when it's 10 degrees.

Then there's the proliferation of eating and drinking establishments in Chicago that cancels out the running. :D

Well,we we're the 2nd fattest city last year,so we must be doing something right. :wink:

[Rockin Robin]

Shad, most of those old insurance charts show that people would be beyond anorexia if they were in the "normal" range. Most physicians now add 10-15% to those numbers. So yes, as a whole, Americans are 10-15% heavier than they were 40 years ago. All Americans.