Seattle ranked second most “fit” city

Seattle was just edged out by San Francisco as the most “fit” city in the US in a 16-city study, conducted by the American College of Sports Medicine.

The study ranked the city using an index that reflects such health indicators as the health behaviors of city residents, levels of chronic disease, access to health care, number of parks and playing fields, and community support for physical activity.

San Francisco came in first with a score of 403. Seattle was a a close second with a score of 401.

“Cities with the highest scores are considered to have high community fitness,” the report says, “a concept akin to an individual having high personal fitness.”

The index, called American Fitness Index, ranked San Francisco first with a score of 403. Seattle came in a close second with a score of 401.

New York City ranked 9th with a score of 260, Los Angeles 14th with a score of 208, and Detroit came in last with a score of 149.

Bellevue and Tacoma were included in the study as part of the Seattle metropolitan area.

Among Seattle’s strengths were the high percentage of residents who had exercised recently, who ate five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and who did not smoke.

The city also had lower rates of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

The study also identified challenges facing the area. These included: older average age of Seattle residents, higher percentage of residents who are disabled (14%), and fewer swimming pools per capita.

The College plans to expand the study to cover the US largest 50 metropolitan areas.

To learn more:

• Read the American College of Sports Medicine’s report.
• Visit the local chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine.
• Use local resources recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine
  • Washington State Department of Health: Physical Activity & Nutrition information page
  • Partners in Action: Nutrition and Physical Activity in Washington
  • Washington Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity
  • Public Health-Seattle & King County site for physical activity
  • King County Overweight Prevention Initiative

Category: Fitness & Exercise, Prevention