Good news, Arizonans – Phoenix and Tucson are among the healthier metropolitan cities according to a new survey by the personal finance website, WalletHub.
In light of National Nutrition Month, WalletHub’s analysts compared 100 of the most populated U.S. metro areas to identify those where weight-related problems call for heightened attention.
The Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale area ranks 70th among the top 100 metro areas in the country in terms of unhealthiness (1 being the worst, 100 being the healthiest) while Tucson checks in at 91st.
This report takes a more holistic approach to problems related to weight by not only accounting for both “overweight” and “obese” residents but also including a total of 14 key metrics, ranging from “percentage of physically inactive adults” to “percentage of adults eating fewer than one serving of fruits or vegetables per day.”
By one estimate, Americans spend nearly $316 billion annually on obesity-related medical treatment, elevating health-care costs significantly for obese adults and children compared with healthier individuals.
Honolulu ranks as the thinned metro area in the U.S. while Memphis checks in as the unhealthiest big city in America.