I was wrong.
America's "Fattest Cities": Is Yours One Of Them?
It's official: on a recently published list of "America's Fattest Cities," Houston ranked No. 1 for the second year running, followed by Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and Dallas (Men's Fitness magazine, February 2002). That's in a nation where the levels of obesity (defined by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion as "an excessively high amount of body fat or adipose tissue in relation to lean body mass") have increased by 50 percent since 1992, and excessive weight is a factor in some 300,000 deaths each year.
Our weight is more of a problem than ever -- fully two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and cheap food as well as TV-watching are cited among the main factors -- and in big and small ways, we're taking action. In March, the Texas Board of Education elected to reinstate mandatory phys ed in elementary schools. In a recent citywide campaign, Philadelphia set out to lose 76 tons in 76 days (and came up 65 tons short) and in a similar move, Brooklyn, NY's Borough President is acting as weight-loss guinea pig in his Lighten Up, Brooklyn! project. What is your city doing towards the trimming of America?