The 2021 ACSM American Fitness Index has named Arlington, VA, the "Fittest City in America" for the fourth year running.
Launched in 2008, the annual ranking of the fittest U.S. cities is a collaboration between the American College of Sports Medicine and the Anthem Foundation. The index ranks the country's 100 largest cities by 34 variables broken down into two categories: personal health, which measures the health of the community's residents, and community/environment, which examines not only infrastructure and policies that promote healthy outcomes but also the degree to which the environment nurtures those outcomes.
According to the study, Arlington ranked #1 in a number of indicators, including lowest percentage of residents who smoke (3.5% vs. the 100 city average of 13.8%), lowest percentage of residents with high blood pressure (15.2% vs. 30.5%), and highest percentage of residents exercising in the previous month (85.7% vs. 75.7%).
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The lockdowns prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic made keeping fit more of a challenge in 2020, especially in cities lacking walkable neighborhoods, nearby parks, and bike paths.
"The pandemic further amplified differences between neighborhoods across the country and the resulting health inequities," the study stated. "Nearly 100 million Americans do not live within a 10-minute walk to a public park. Neighborhoods without parks, connected sidewalks, or safe streets make it difficult for residents to be active safely.
"Physical activity is not only good for personal health, it is also good for a city's bottom line. There is strong evidence of significant economic benefits from local policies and planning that support physical activity, walkability, and bikeability. Well-designed cities experience increased home values, retail activity, and business and job growth," the study continued.
Two new indicators were added for the 2021 study: Food insecurity and sleep. The Fitness Index quotes the Life Sciences Research Office in defining food insecurity as "the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways." Food insecurity is inextricably linked to overall health, the study says.
St. Louis, MO, ranked highest on the Index for percentage of residents experiencing food insecurity (18.2%), followed by New Orleans and Baltimore in a tie for the second spot (18%). Arlington, VA, ranked lowest for food insecurity (6.7%).
Of the top ten cities getting seven or more hours of sleep, four are in Texas: Corpus Christi (#7), Fort Worth (#6), Arlington (#4), and Lubbock (#1). Arlington, VA, ranks #8 on the list.
See our slideshow above for the highest and lowest ranked cities on the 2021 Fitness Index.
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Richard Binder
Richard Binder, based in New York, is part of the social media team at ALM. He is also a 2014 recipient of the ASPBE Award for Excellence in the Humorous/Fun Department.
