In the U.S., March 2022 is National Nutrition Month and obesity. This is a timely event for health prevention given that the risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19 whilst being obese is up to three times higher.
While 40 percent of U.S. adults are classed as obese, the distribution through the country is not uniform. To assess the variation across different U.S. cities relating to weight and health, the personal-finance website WalletHub has released a report titled “2022’s Most Overweight and Obese Cities in the U.S”.
In order to call attention to the communities where weight-related problems are most prevalent, WalletHub compared 100 of the most populated U.S. metro areas across 19 key metrics.
The compiled data set ranges from the share of physically inactive adults to projected obesity rates by 2030 to healthy-food access.
Based on the data assessment, the top ten cities with the most overweight or obese individuals are:
1. McAllen, TX
2. Memphis, TN
3. Knoxville, TN
4. Mobile, AL
5. Jackson, MS
6. Birmingham, AL
7. Little Rock, AR
8. Shreveport, LA
9. Augusta, GA
10. Baton Rouge, LA
Bubbling below this are Chattanooga, TN; Lafayette, LA; Myrtle Beach, SC; Youngstown, OH; and Huntsville, AL.
Making up the remainder of the top twenty are: Winston-Salem, NC; Wichita, KS; Nashville, TN; New Orleans, LA; and Fayetteville, AR.
Despite the twenty cities being the ‘unhealthiest’, there are some interesting data patterns across all of the areas in the U.S. For example, the McAllen, Texas, metro area was found to have the highest share of obese adults at 45 percent. This was 2.4 times higher than in Asheville, North Carolina, the metro area with the lowest at 18.5 percent.
The same city area – McAllen, Texas, metro area – also has the highest share of physically inactive adults, at 37 percent. This is 2.7 times higher than in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the metro area with the lowest at 14 percent.
Another area of Texas, the city of El Paso has the highest share of diabetic adults at 16 percent, which is 2.6 times higher than in Reno, Nevada, the metro area with the lowest at 6 percent.
Taking a different measure of health, Jackson, Mississippi, has the highest share of adults with high blood pressure, 41 percent. This features as 1.8 times higher than in San Jose, California, with the lowest at 23 percent.
