{"id":46062,"date":"2022-07-12T13:01:33","date_gmt":"2022-07-12T11:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pharma-trend.com\/en\/arlington-va-named-fittest-city-in-2022-american-fitness-index-ranking\/"},"modified":"2022-07-12T13:01:33","modified_gmt":"2022-07-12T11:01:33","slug":"arlington-va-named-fittest-city-in-2022-american-fitness-index-ranking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pharma-trend.com\/en\/arlington-va-named-fittest-city-in-2022-american-fitness-index-ranking\/","title":{"rendered":"Arlington, Va., Named \u2018Fittest City\u2019 in 2022 American Fitness Index\u00ae Ranking"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nMental health a key indicator; 58% of adults negatively affected by pandemic<\/i>\n<\/p>\n

INDIANAPOLIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Arlington, Virginia, has been named \u201cAmerica\u2019s Fittest City\u201d in the annual American Fitness Index\u00ae<\/sup> rankings published by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Elevance Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Elevance Health.\n<\/p>\n

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\nThe ACSM \/ Elevance Health Foundation Fitness Index evaluated America\u2019s 100 largest cities using 34 evidence-based indicators. Rounding out the top 10 fittest cities are Madison, Wisconsin; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Washington, D.C.; Seattle, Washington; Irvine, California; Portland, Oregon; St. Paul, Minnesota; Denver, Colorado; and Chicago, Illinois (first time in the top 10). Full rankings and scores, a summary report, city comparison tool and other insights are accessible on the Fitness Index website<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cCongratulations to those city leaders and planners who led efforts to develop parks and playgrounds, build bike paths and safe streets, and offer a built environment that encourages physical activity,\u201d said Shantanu Agrawal, M.D., chief health officer of Elevance Health. \u201cAs we entered another year of the pandemic, health disparities in our communities continued to be an issue, which only encourages us to tackle health equity head on. We were also faced with another year of loss, sickness and isolation, resulting in the need for improved mental health. As we start to return to our previous routines, we need to underscore the significant mental and physical health benefits that exercise has in our lives.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nNow in its 15th year, the Fitness Index offers city leaders valuable research to make potentially life-changing decisions in policy, systems and environmental change strategies that drive fitness and health improvements in their communities.\n<\/p>\n

\nAs mental health concerns grow rapidly across the nation, this year\u2019s Fitness Index provides statistical evidence regarding the problem\u2019s scope. On average, 39.6% of residents in the Fitness Index cities reported poor mental health. Nearly 58% of adults in the U.S. perceive a pandemic-related negative effect on emotional or mental health. Cities reporting the highest rates of poor mental health (listed from highest to lowest) include New Orleans, Louisiana; Laredo, Texas; San Francisco, California; Washington, D.C.; San Jose, California; Madison, Wisconsin; Lubbock, Texas; Stockton, California; Riverside, California; and Cincinnati, Ohio.\n<\/p>\n

\nThere is good news. Research has shown physical activity – both aerobic and strength training – to be effective in preventing and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, improving mood and self-esteem, and improving quality of sleep.\n<\/p>\n

\nACSM issued a statement in August 2021<\/a> and is offering resources<\/a> on the benefits of physical activity for those with mental health issues\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThe Fitness Index Advisory Board hypothesized that poor mental health issues might be a significant factor because the pandemic disrupted every phase of our lives, some more than others,\u201d said Stella Volpe, Ph.D., R.D.N., ACSM-CEP, FACSM, chair of the American Fitness Index Advisory Board. \u201cOur decision to hone in on this important factor was accurate. We found that cities ranked in the top 25 tended to score well in personal health indicators; however, there was one exception \u2013 mental health. Four cities in the top 25 also ranked among the cities with the poorest mental health.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nACSM and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, about 22 minutes per day. They also recommend muscle strengthening activity twice a week. Volpe said 22.4% of adults in the Fitness Index cities reported no exercise in the previous month, and only 50.9% met the aerobic activity guidelines, while an even smaller percentage (23.8) met the guidelines for both aerobic and strength activities.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cIncreases in physical activity are likely to help reduce the mental health burden,\u201d said Volpe. \u201cThis underscores the need for local community leaders to step up and make bold spending choices, policy decisions and infrastructure changes to increase opportunities for residents to be physically active and healthy. Local community actions that change personal behaviors also reduce obesity rates, incidence of chronic disease and stress. ACSM and the Elevance Health Foundation now implement year-round education and outreach activities around the Fitness Index results to help identify needs in each city and contribute to potential solutions.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nArlington, Virginia, earned its No. 1 designation for the fifth time, a Fitness Index record, by ranking first in six indicators and scoring among the top 10 cities in 19 of the 34 categories. Arlington was ranked No. 1 in both the personal health and community\/environment sub-scores. All cities can be compared to Arlington or others ranked in the Fitness Index by accessing the online City Comparison Tool<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

\nAdditional findings from the 2022 Fitness Index rankings include:\n<\/p>\n