Las Vegas is no longer the fattest city in the nation, according to an annual
survey released by Men’s Fitness magazine.
Las Vegas dropped from No. 1 to No. 4 fattest in the 11th annual survey. This
year, Miami has moved into the top position.
The survey uses a variety of data to determine which U.S. cities are the
fattest, as well as which ones are the fittest, and Nevadans don’t have to go
far to find the healthiest city on this year’s list. That honor went to Salt
Lake City.
While Las Vegans enjoy plenty of sunshine and many outdoor recreation
opportunities, Las Vegas suffers from an abundance of fast food restaurants and
an overweight population, the magazine said.
"According to the CDC, 38.7 percent of adults here are heavy enough to increase
their risk for weight-related health problems,” the magazine said. “That's the
fifth worst score of any city in our survey. Compare it to a national average of
36.09 percent."
While Las Vegas has more health food stores than most cities, the magazine says
the city also has 68 percent more fast food restaurants. Donuts are 84 percent
more popular here and there are 106 percent more pizza places here than in the
other cities that were analyzed.
Las Vegas doesn’t just suffer from an abundance of unhealthy food choices. Las
Vegas ranked second lowest of surveyed cities in both aerobic and aquatic
exercise.
Although the city has 60 percent more gyms and health clubs, Las Vegas had the
fewest municipal parks of any of the cities surveyed.
The magazine gave Las Vegas a “C+” in mayor and city initiatives, while the
state got a “D+” for its obesity initiatives.
Men’s Fitness gave Las Vegas a grade of “F” or “F+” in the following categories:
sports participation, TV viewing, overweight/sedentary, junk food, city
recreation facilities and access to health care.
