Nashville Ranked One of Least Fit

Nashville is ranked as one of the least fit cities in the country according to a study published  by American College of Sports Medicine.

The ranking, called the American Fitness Index, considers both personal health indicators (for example, obesity rates) and community and environmental factors, like access to public parks and farmers’ markets. Data was collected through surveys and federal government data collected by the CDC and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, among others.

Nashville ranked 45th on the list, earning 33 points out of a possible 100 on the reports fitness index. Memphis ranked second to last, scoring 27.3 points. For the second year in a row, Washington, D.C., ranked as the fittest U.S. city, scoring a 79.6 on the index.

While the report does highlight some areas of excellence in Nashville (meaning the city scored at or above target goals), it identifies far more areas for improvement. Specifically, Nashville has a low percentage of people meeting target levels of exercise and healthy eating goals, as established by the CDC and health professionals.

Read the full story at Nashville Business Journal.

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