Fat In The City
By George Anderson
Houston, you’ve got a problem.
For the fourth year out of five, the home of the Astros, Rockets and Texans has garnered the ignominious honor of being named America’s fattest city by Men’s Health magazine.
Here are some of the lowlights of Houston, according to the Men’s Health article.
- Chances are that if you live in Houston you’re overweight. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost 62 percent of those living in Houston
are overweight. Almost one in four can be classified as clinically obese. - Houstonians watch more television than people in other cities with the exception of New Orleans and Memphis, according to Nielsen Media Research.
- Going outside to exercise might be dangerous to your health. The air quality rating given Houston by the Environmental Protection Agency was third from the bottom, with only
Philadelphia and Fresno being worse.
On the opposite end of the fat or fit spectrum was Seattle, named by Men’s Health as the fittest city in the U.S. Seattle moved up from the sixth spot in last year’s rankings
to displace Honolulu, which dropped to number two this year.
But, even with its designation as America’s fittest city, Seattle has a long way to go before its citizens can be considered the picture of health. According to the CDC, more
than 53 percent of those living in Seattle weigh more than they should.
Moderator’s Comment: Has the weight of employees and the associated health risks become a financial issue for employers? Does another person’s weight/appearance
affect how you regard them professionally? –
George Anderson – Moderator