Where You Live Can Make You Fat or Thin

[Guest guest]

1-17-01 ABC News

According to a study released today, there are some cities where it's

easier to be thin and some where everything " from climate and

geography to local laws and restaurant fare " just conspires to make

you overweight.

So what are the best places to live if you want to be slim? According

to the study by Men,s Fitness magazine, try sunny, seaside San Diego,

which topped the magazine,s list of " fittest cities.

Stay away from Houston, though, which, with its polluted air,

proliferation of bars and liquor stores and its car-reliant culture,

ranked as the " fattest city in the country.

In its annual study, the magazine takes into account a range of

issues that make up how healthy it is to live in a city, from air and

water quality to the length of the average commute to the number of

fast food joints per person.

While the actual percentage of overweight people living in a city is

also considered, the study focuses more on opportunities available

for people who want to get fit, on lifestyle in the city and on the

relative healthiness of the environment.Of course there is plenty of

motivation for people to stay thin in San Diego, where it's hot

year-round and nobody wears much in the way of clothing, but

according to the study, the city has the added advantage of its

beautiful beaches and golf courses.

Because the study emphasized factors like recreation areas and

climate, it seems only natural that San Francisco and Honolulu tied

for second most " fit cities after San Diego, while chilly Detroit and

Philadelphia were the second and third " fattest cities on the

magazine,s list.

'Big Easy' Means Big Waists

Seattle, despite its rainy winters, was fourth on the list of the

fittest, largely because people there ignore the drizzle to take

advantage of the natural beauty that surrounds the city.

Like Seattle, Minneapolis has a climate that would seem likely to

lead to people being overweight. But instead, people are active in

the city,s many parks and lakes year-round. The only city in the

study where people watched less television was Seattle.

Denver; Boston; Virginia Beach, Va.; Portland, Ore.; and Washington,

D.C., rounded out the top 10 fittest cities.

New Orleans, where people seem more interested in the nightlife than

the healthy life, placed fourth on the list of the " fattest.

According to the study, the residents, love of fried food, cigarettes

and alcohol and their aversion to exercise account for the " Big

Easy,s high ranking.

That Columbus, Ohio " the birthplace of ,s, White Castle and Bob

, " country style restaurants " placed fifth on the " fattest list

should come as no surprise. The severe winters help keep people

sedentary and relatively few people belong to health clubs or gyms,

according to the magazine.

Mesa, Ariz.; Kansas City; Phoenix; Cleveland; and Chicago filled out

the top 10 on the " fattest list.

Hoping for Outrage

Not all cities see being named " fattest as a bad thing, though.

Philadelphia Mayor Street used the city,s No. 1 ranking last

year as a spark to get people a little more concerned about their

health, and after the introduction of a mayor,s task force on fitness

that pioneered such innovations as a vegetarian cheese steak, the

city improved to No. 3.

In Columbus, public health officials hope to follow that lead.

A study that found that Columbus had higher death rates from the

eight leading causes of death than the state average and than other

similar cities throughout the country, but when the city,s health

department released the report last spring, no one seemed to notice.

" We hoped there would be a real sense of outrage in our city, heath

department spokeswoman Liane Egle said. " There wasn't. In a sense, we

hope that [the magazine study] will spur people.

Top Ten Fat, Fit Cities

Fattest Cities 1. Houston, TX 2. Detroit, MI 3. Philadelphia, PA 4.

New Orleans, LA 5. Columbus, OH 6. Mesa, AZ 7. Kansas City, MO 8.

Phoenix, AZ 9. Cleveland, OH 10. Chicago, IL

Fittest Cities 1. San Diego, CA 2. (tie) San Francisco, CA 2. (tie)

Honolulu, HI 4. Seattle, WA 5. Minneapolis, MN 6. Denver, CO 7.

Boston, MA 8. Virginia Beach, VA 9. Portland, OR 10. Washington, DC