These types of rankings should always be taken with a grain (or two) of salt, but according to Men’s Fitness Magazine, Columbus is ranked as the 18th Fattest City in America in 2009.
It’s difficult to track our history with this poll, as criteria changes slightly from year to year, and some information is either no longer available online or we didn’t place in the rankings at all. That being said, we did place as high as 6th Fattest City back in 2002, and were up to the 20th Fittest City in 2008. So it would appear as if we’ve slipped a bit from last year, but improved quite a bit over the long term.
The areas where Columbus ranked highly in the study include: Sports Participation, Commute, Access to Healthcare, and Motivation.
The areas where Columbus ranked “average” include: Overweight/Sedentary, Air Quality, Geography, Parks & Open Space, and Mayor & City Initiatives.
The areas where Columbus ranked poorly include: Fitness Centers & Sports Stores, Nutrition, TV Viewing, Junk Food, City Rec Facilities, and State Obesity Initiatives.
The full article and rankings can be found online here: Men’s Fitness Magazine.