Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
[QB] That's rather shocking, given all of the skinny twentysomethings you see roaming around NW. Must be the folks in the other quadrants.
no...it's just that many of the criteria don't really measure the PEOPLE, they measures factors that would or could contribute to fatness, actually...one can easily see how these factors would skew the results to make DC look "fatter" than it is...
Gyms/Sporting Goods.
The theory here: If you don't have the gear, you'll get a big rear. Cities were rated on the total number of gyms, health clubs, fitness studios, and sporting-goods retailers per 100,000 residents.
Nutrition.
Cities were rated on the percentage of residents eating the recommended five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables -- and on the number of health-food stores per 100,000 people.
Junk Food.
Cities lost points for the number of fast-food outlets, pizza joints, ice-cream shops, and doughnut stores per 100,000 people.
Exercise/Sports. Cities were ranked according to total participation in 103 sports and fitness activities.
Overweight/Sedentary.
Yep, the CDC actually has state-by-state numbers for the percentage of the population that is obese, overweight, and/or not exercising. Cities lost points for being in these states.
Alcohol.
Cities lost points for the total number of bars per 100,000 people and state alcohol consumption.
TV. Those Nielsen ratings don't just tell which shows are most popular. They also show which areas are getting the most boob-tube time.
Air Quality.
Yes, air affects fitness. Cities lost points for ozone-alert days.
Climate.
It's not clear what a city can do about this, short of building a huge dome. But cities lost points for days that were too cold, too hot, or too wet. They gained points for mild, sunny days.
Geography.
Access to outdoor recreation -- forests, lakes, rivers, mountains, beaches, etc. -- was plus for a city.
Commute.
Yep, the Men's Fitness editors figure that the more time you spend in traffic, the more stress you feel and the worse fitness you'll have.
Parks/Open Space.
Total acreage of parks, federal and state recreation areas, and open spaces per 10,000 people added points to city fitness scores.
Recreation Facilities.
Add up those public basketball courts, public pools, public tennis courts, and, yes, public golf courses. Divide by 10,000 people and add it to a city's fitness score.
Health Care.
The survey ranked cities on access to health-care facilities.
