Photo by Kevin Harber.
The Washington metropolitan area is the second healthiest, fittest region in America, in part, because of its excellent mental health. Yes, really.
According to American Fitness Index from the American College of Sports Medicine, D.C. residents and those who live in nearby areas in Virginia and Maryland had a “lower percent of days when mental health was not good during the past 30 days” than most other metropolitan areas. There’s no information on what exactly “good” mental health is.
Other areas where the Washington Metro Area excels include:
- Lower death rate for cardiovascular disease
- Lower death rate for diabetes
- Higher percent city land area as parkland
- More farmers’ markets per capita
- Higher percent using public transportation to work
- Higher percent bicycling or walking to work
None of these should be a surprise to anyone who rides a Captial Bikeshare bike to Eastern Market before heading to Lincoln Park to brag about not dying from a heart attack or diabetes.
And how can the area improve? According to the index, there are too many cases of diabetes, as well not enough “park playgrounds per capita.” There also aren’t enough golf courses. Do you hear that, councilmembers? D.C. needs more golf courses!
Researches who created the Index analyzed data from sources including the U.S. Census, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the Trust for the Public Land City Park Facts.
Minneapolis-St. Paul came out on top, with Portland, Ore.; San Francisco; and Denver rounding out the top five. Oklahoma City was ranked dead last. See the full results here.
