More than 40% of U.S. adults are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
Being obese is not only bad for a person’s health, but also for the economy. Those extra pounds have inflated the costs of obesity-related medical treatment to approximately $190.2 billion a year and annual productivity losses due to work absenteeism to around $4.3 billion.
Certain places are more responsible than others for tipping the scale in favor of bad health, according to financial website WalletHub. To determine 2022′s most overweight cities in America, WalletHub compared 100 of the most populated metro areas across three key dimensions: obesity and overweight; health consequences; and food and fitness.
It then evaluated those dimensions using 19 relevant metrics, each of which was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the “fattest.”
When the scores were tallied, two Georgia cities finished in the top 50, with one landing at No. 9.
That area was Augusta-Richmond County, with an overall score of 82.42. Augusta also tied Little Rock, Arkansas, for the fourth highest percentage of adults with high blood pressure; and was third for highest percentage of obese adults.
Farther down the list was the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta area, which ranked No. 48 with a score of 71.26.
Both cities rose in the rankings since last year, which is not a good thing. In 2021, the Augusta area finished at No. 13, while the Atlanta area was No. 52.
All but one of the top 20 “fattest” cities were in the South.
“The biggest mistake people make when trying to improve their health and lifestyle is trying to change too many habits too quickly,” Casey Colin, assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, Brooks College of Health, at the University of North Florida. “The healthiest lifestyle is the one that incorporates sustainable changes and is enjoyable. If we start an exercise routine we hate, we are unlikely to sustain it, much like most of us will not ‘give up sugar’ forever. Find ways to merge healthy living with responsible indulgences for a more balanced approach.”
Kathleen Davis, assistant professor of nutrition and food sciences at Texas Woman’s University, added: “Many people have ‘all or none’ thinking when it comes to living a healthier lifestyle. Either they are ‘in it to win it’ or they are on a break. Research shows that people who are more flexible when it comes to reaching their goals are more successful in the long run.”
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