New Study Ranks Lafayette Among the Most Obese Cities in America

(KPEL-FM) - The food in Louisiana is good, but as we all know, it can tend to not be the healthiest at times. Add that to some of our sedentary lifestyles, and we continue to end up at the wrong end of the bad lists.

Louisiana Cities Rank High in New Obesity Study

There is a new study out from WalletHub ranking the most overweight and obese cities in the United States and, unfortunately, nearly all of Louisiana's major cities ranked towards the top.

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How WalletHub Measured Obesity Across U.S. Cities

To compile the list, WalletHub compared 100 of the most populated U.S. metro areas across 19 key indicators of weight-related problems. The data set ranges from the share of physically inactive adults to projected obesity rates by 2050 to healthy-food access.

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“Obesity is becoming more and more prevalent in the U.S., and it’s costing us big time. In the most overweight and obese cities, residents often lack easy access to healthy food and recreation opportunities, so investing in those areas should help improve people’s diets and exercise regimens, and reduce the financial burden overall," said Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst.

Where Louisiana Cities Ranked

In the overall rankings of "Fattest Cities in the U.S.," here is how the major Louisiana cities ranked:

#6 - Lafayette
#8 - Shreveport
#10 - Baton Rouge
#16 - New Orleans

A Closer Look at Lafayette’s Health Statistics

Here is a deeper dive into the not-so-good ranking for Lafayette (1=Fattest, 50=Avg.):

• 74th - % of Overweight Adults
• 12th - % of Obese Adults
• 26th - % of Physcially Inactive Adults
• 33rd - % of Adults with High Cholesterol
• 2nd - % of Adults with Low Fruit/Vegetable Consumption
• 4th - % of Adults with Diabetes
• 9th - % of Adults with High Blood Pressure

The Growing Cost of Obesity in America

By the way, March is National Nutrition Month and the annual medical cost of obesity has reached close to $200 billion. This report highlights the places where residents are in the most danger of weight-related health conditions, and thus need to improve their diet and exercise.

To view WalletHub's full report on the "Most Overweight and Obese Cities in the U.S.," see the full report.