Healthier, higher-ranked cities received good scores on most of the qualifiers, and researchers believe it is due to the city officials’ responsiveness to citizen wants and needs.
“In short, the higher-ranked cities tend to have an ecosystem of health and fitness that starts early, and this is evident in their state regulations for school fitness, local healthcare programs and regulations, spending on outdoor space and exercise habits of residents,” pointed out BetterDoctor’s consumer insights researcher Divya Raghavan. BetterDoctor’s website matches patients with physicians.
Raghavan added: “The lower-ranked cities tended to have less parkland, higher obesity rates, and more stringent state requirements for physical education in schools.”
Unhealthiest Cities in the U.S.A.
A list of the unhealthiest cities from the 2015 American Fitness Report follows:
- Indianapolis, IN
- Memphis, TN
- Ft. Wayne, IN
- Ft. Worth, TX
- Arlington, TX
- El Paso, TX
- Tulsa, OK
- Lubbock, TX
- Detroit, MI
- Birmingham, AL
- Laredo, TX
Other notable cities:
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Louisville, KY,
- San Antonio, TX
- Nashville, TN
- Las Vegas, NV
- New Orleans, LA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Jacksonville, FL
- Detroit, MI,
- Riverside, CA
- Phoenix, AZ
- Orlando, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Miami, FL
Bad Habits and Self-medicating
You’ve got to admit that one’s physical health is influenced by one’s habits, for good or ill. Example – though American smokers average about 20 percent of the population, more than 34 percent of Charleston, W.Va.’s population smoked. Oh, and those residents also had the highest rates of obesity in the nation.
According to Dan Witters, research director for the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, there is a clear relationship between poor physical health outcomes, such as obesity, and many of these habits. "When you're talking about obesity, the big three are healthy eating, exercise, and smoking." But these habits could be manifestations of self-medication in a stressful situation.
It is well documented that in low SES neighborhoods, residents face daily challenges and stressors. Issues include marginality; unemployment; isolation; marital disruption; financial loss; powerlessness; struggling to make ends meet, and discrimination. These stressors happen to be associated with self-medicating or compulsive behaviors like smoking, overeating and drinking. There’s increased numbers among those in stressful situations such as unemployed workers; poor, single mothers, and residents of deprived neighborhoods. This results in a much higher rate of “bad habits” among low SES communities.
Poorly educated people are less likely to stay healthy and participate in good habits. Nine of the least healthy metro areas had college education rates lower than the national average. Eight of the healthiest regions showed that residents there were more likely to have a Bachelor’s degree than Americans as a whole. That means that a low SES will likely mean a lower level of healthful eating.
The Economic Truth of Food
People in this class tend to buy foods based on familiarity and price with a lesser emphasis on healthiness. Lower SES people cited the possibility of wasting foods they were not familiar preparing or eating for not buying more fruits and vegetables. “Healthy foods” are perceived to be, or actually are, more expensive and price is a barrier for those with less buying power. The lower the SES, the lower the consumption of fruits and veggies. There is a direct relation between SES status and healthy diets.
Smoking
Lifestyles and healthy behaviors tend to set other SES groups apart from high SES groups. Typically low SES groups have higher smoking rates as substantiated by a 2010 study. The study found that of adults between the ages of 25 and 64, those with a high school diploma smoked 31 percent of the time. Those with some college smoked about 24 percent of the time and those with a Bachelor’s degree smoked nine percent of the time. Typically, smoking is stigmatized by high SES groups.
Obesity
Also, in the same study, it demonstrated that 24 percent of boys and 22 percent of girls were obese if the head of household held less than a high school diploma. With a Bachelor’s holding head of household, 11 percent of boys and seven percent of girls were overweight. Also, high SES groups were more likely to participate in aerobics, weight training or other exercises that require some instruction.
"Highly educated people tend to have healthier behaviors, avoid unhealthy ones and have more access to medical care when they need it," says the report's lead author, Amy Bernstein, a health services researcher for the National Center for Health Statistics. "All of these factors are associated with better health."
Substandard Housing
Chronic health problems were not only tied to bad habits but to substandard housing, which is a major health problem in the U.S. Each year there are 13.5 million non-fatal injuries around the house and 2,900 people die in house fires. There are also two million emergency room visits for U.S. asthma cases and one million American children have been estimated to have blood lead levels high enough to affect their intelligence, behavior and development.
African-American folks and low-income people are 1.7 times and 2.2 times, respectively, to live in homes with severe physical problems as compared to the general population. Because poor SES populations spend more per capita on housing costs than other SES groups, there is smaller amount of income left for food, utilities, and household and recreational costs. Without the ability to pay for and participate in these activities, Americans’ health suffers.
“Emerging public health information suggests that to reach the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) goal to improve health and fitness, prevent disease and disability, and enhance quality of life for all Americans through physical activity, we must create a culture that integrates physical activity into our daily lives,” wrote the authors of the 2015 American Fitness Report, which included a panel of 26 health and physical activity experts and use of CDC statistics.
If you live in one of the listed “unhealthiest cities,” that doesn’t mean that you are unhealthy. If you get out of the house, socialize and exercise, and practice good eating habits, though it may seem a little more expensive at the time, you will benefit from what is available to you. Making use of parks for a jog or stroll will only help you get healthier and perhaps encourage others to use these public spaces as well.