ORLANDO, Fla. – This week, WalletHub has released its latest list of the most overweight and obese cities in America.
The study examines several health-related factors* to develop its ranking, including the share of overweight adults, heart disease rates, obesity-related deaths, and access to recreation centers.
Researchers also broached the fact that obesity-related medical treatments have been costing over $190 billion a year, with nearly 42% of adults in the country suffering from obesity.
[BELOW: The top attraction in the U.S. can be found on this Florida island]
“Obesity is becoming more and more prevalent in the U.S., and it’s costing us big time,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. “In the most overweight and obese cities, residents often lack easy access to healthy food and recreation opportunities, so investing in those areas should help improve people’s diets and exercise regiments, and reduce the financial burden overall.”
Overall, the fattest city turned out to be Little Rock in Arkansas, with McAllen, Texas (No. 2); and Memphis, Tennessee (No. 3) coming in close behind.
But it turns out that the Sunshine State actually fared pretty well, as it didn’t have a single city within the top 50.
The highest-ranked Florida city on this year’s list is Orlando, all the way down at No. 51. The City Beautiful struggled with its health consequences in particular.
Meanwhile, the full Florida ranking is as follows:
| Rank | City | Score | Worst-Performing Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | Orlando | 71.72 | Health Consequences |
| 61 | Jacksonville | 70.29 | Health Consequences |
| 62 | Tampa | 70.27 | Health Consequences |
| 88 | Miami | 64.30 | Food & Fitness |
* The methodology used in this study is as follows:
- Obesity & Overweight (60%)
- Share of Overweight Adults
- Share of Obese Adults
- Share of Overweight Teenagers
- Share of Obese Teenagers
- Share of Overweight Children
- Share of Obese Children
- Projected Obesity Rates by 2050
- Health Consequences (25%)
- Share of Adults with High Cholesterol
- Share of Diabetic Adults
- Share of Adults with High Blood Pressure
- Heart-Disease Rate
- Obesity-Related Death Rate
- Food & Fitness (15%)
- Share of Adults with Low Fruit/Vegetable Consumption
- Share of Residents Who Say They Eat Healthy
- Limited Access to Healthy Food
- Share of Physically Inactive Adults
- City Friendliness toward an Active Lifestyle
- Access to Parks & Recreational Facilities
- Number of Health Educators and Community Health Workers per Capita