ORLANDO – The Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford area saw one of the biggest improvements of Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the 10th annual American Fitness Index this week, moving up to No. 25 on the 2017 list.
According to a new study released Tuesday by the American College of Sports Medicine and Simply Healthcare, the Orlando area saw improvement, moving up from its 2016 spot at No. 43, garnering a 2017 score of 52.3. The score, out of 100 possible points, put Orlando behind only two other Florida areas: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, at No. 19 with a score of 54.1; and Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, at No. 23 with a score of 52.6.
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Areas such as Orlando, Los Angeles, Buffalo and Las Vegas were among some of the cities that saw the most change.
“Our ultimate goal is to offer individuals, families and communities trusted resources that can help them assess, plan and implement policies that promote positive health outcomes,” said ACSM president-elect and AFI chair Walter R. Thompson in a press release. “Ten years of evidence-based data offers these cities and their citizens valuable insights into how to substantively improve elements leading to healthier lives and reduced health care costs.”
Positive trends include a 16 percent increase in people who met the recommendations for aerobic and strength exercise in the last 30 days, a 3.9 percent increase in walkability scores and a 4 percent increase in the number of recreation centers per 20,000 residents.
However, the AFI report also reported some problems. MSA shows there has been a 11.7 percent increase in the rate of diabetes deaths, a 6.3 percent reduction in the percent of residents biking or walking to work and a 6.2 percent decrease of individuals eating the recommended number of servings of fruit.
But leaders at the community level are working on solutions using the data collected above and more.
“Simply Healthcare is proud to support the ACSM and the 10th year of the American Fit Index,” said Simply Healthcare plan president Lourdes Rivas in a press release. “We believe this program can significantly improve the healthy and overall well-being of not only our Simply Healthcare members, but of the entire community. We look forward to continuing our partnership and creating a change that will lead to more healthy lifestyles.”
Some of the long-term trends reported include a 2 percent drop in the smoking rate, an increase in the number of farmers markets, an increase of residents biking or walking to work from 1.3 percent to 2.9 percent and a drop in the death rates for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Public transportation is being used more and more, and total park expenditures per capita increased from $100 to $106.
To learn more about the ACSM, more information can be found at www.acsm.org/. To learn more about the methodology behind the AFI, more information can be found at www.AmericanFitnessIndex.org.