HealthNews Dozen: Washington, D.C. Becomes America’s Fittest City

Washington, D.C. is seen by most as a den of politics and metropolitan hustle and bustle, but amidst the commotion is a city set on promoting and maintaining health and fitness among its residents. As the second annual list of America’s fittest cities is published and brings the issue to the forefront of discussions, Washington, D.C., which propelled itself from fourth place in 2008 to first in 2009, shows that a concentrated effort on taking better care of its residents and making healthy living more accessible and desirable improves their overall quality of life and benefits everyone.

The WellPoint Foundation sponsored its second report in as many years through the American College of Sports Medicine American Fitness Index (AFI) program. By collecting data from the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the United States each year, study authors compiled the scientific and other assessments to rank the various areas on the basis of the overall health of their residents. But moreover, the continuation of the inaugural study from 2008 allows a look at where metro areas have improved or faltered, helping to identify areas of concern and what could be done to improve status over time.

According to the Regional Vice President and National Medical Director of Anthem National Accounts, Wesley Wong, the purpose of helping metro areas that may need assistance in instituting programs or assisting in the advancement of health initiatives is to encourage healthier residents in the hopes of saving lives and reducing health costs to individuals and society overall. Part of the process has been the launch of the Healthy Generations program, one that targets specific medical conditions that seem to be prevalent in particular areas of the country, such as insufficient prenatal care, cardiac deaths, increased obesity and decreased physical activity, diabetes, and smoking. By pushing programs to address some of the most serious issues, the WellPoint Foundation believes it can make a difference.

Washington, D.C. is merely one example of cities that have taken the advice of WellPoint to heart and focused more attention on programs that can help the members of its population that need the most assistance or could use the most improvement. And advances include everything from the availability of health insurance to better care for those depending on it for disease maintenance or prevention, and from the availability of recreation centers and parks for exercise to the encouragement of physical education classes.

Minneapolis was not even on the top twelve list in 2008 but rose up to be ranked second in 2009, as did the majority of the metropolitan areas included in the most recent release. And areas that were ranked near the top last year—Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, New York City, Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Phoenix, and Indianapolis—did not make the dozen top areas in 2009. As criterion becomes more specific and other metro areas rise to the health and fitness challenge, it will become tougher to meet only some of the criteria and still receive a respectable score.

What the American Fitness Index is designed to do is spur more people toward a healthier lifestyle, as even the smallest changes—like riding a bike to work instead of driving—can help the individual as well as the entire community. With communities realizing that some resources dedicated to that message can go a long way, along with Health and Human Services dedicating more funds to health-related needs in cities across America, people are on the right track to leading more physically fit lives.