It may not be an itemized entry in city budgets, but obesity can weigh in on a city’s bottom line. Obesity is linked to higher healthcare costs, lower workplace productivity, and unhappier residents, according to a recent Gallup survey of the most and least obese metro areas in the nation.
Across the nation, 26.6% of adults were obese in 2010, according to the report.
Among the 188 metro areas in the survey, Boulder, Colorado boasts the lowest obesity rate, with only 12.9% of its residents reported falling in the obese category. In addition, “Boulder is the only metro area in the survey to achieve the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s nationwide goal of lowering obesity rates to 15% by 2010.”
“The infrastructure – physical and social – to stay in shape is very clear here in Boulder.”
Obesity levels are calculated using self-reported height and weight to determine body mass index (BMI) scores. An adult with a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Cultural Commitment to Fitness
Is Boulder’s low obesity rate by design, or by coincidence? “The City of Boulder both attracts people who are physically active and live a healthy lifestyle, and encourages residents to be physically active through its commitment to open space, parks and recreation, and alternative transportation through bike lanes and multi-use paths,” says Jennifer Bray, Internal Communications/Public Relations Coordinator with the City of Boulder.
Over the past 40 years, Boulder has provided residents with three complete public fitness and recreation centers; two outdoor pools; 77 tennis, basketball, volleyball, and racquetball courts; 41 multi-use sports and athletic fields; a skate park; three inline hockey rinks; and 765 acres of neighborhood, community and city parks.
Its proximity to ski areas, and many opportunities for hiking and athletic training attract people with an interest in outdoor fitness activities.
“With more than 20% of adults obese in 174 metro areas, and only Boulder meeting the government’s goal of 15% obesity rate in 2010, essentially every local leader has a mandate to take significant steps toward reducing obesity,” according to the Gallup report.
“The infrastructure – physical and social – to stay in shape is very clear here in Boulder,” says Steve Mertz, Open Space and Mountain Parks Education and Outreach Coordinator with the City of Boulder.
The Open Space and Mountain Parks Program (OSMP) was designed to stop urban sprawl is integral to defining the culture of Boulder, he says. It includes over 70 square miles of open land, and 144 miles of trails. In 2010, 18% of Boulder’s population reported using the OSMP daily, 35% two to three times per week, and 22% once a week.
Boulder is also the epicenter for the organic food revolution. “People here take health and fitness very seriously,” says Steve Mertz.
And so does City government. Another way in which Boulder encourages a healthy lifestyle is through its budgeting process, Priority Based Budgeting, explains Jennifer Bray. One of the results against which all 500-plus programs in the City are measured is “A Healthy City and Community.” In other words, the City makes a specific effort to lend support to programs that promote health and fitness within the community.
Financial Impact of Fitness – or Lack Thereof
In a January 2011 report entitled, The Cost of Obesity to U.S. Cities, Gallup reports that “if the nation’s 10 most obese cities cut their rates to the national 2009 average of 26.5%, they could collectively save nearly $500 million in healthcare costs each year. Cut to 15%, the cost savings would climb to nearly $1.3 billion annually.”
These figures are based on the incremental cost of healthcare per year for each of these cities by multiplying the estimated additional direct annual healthcare costs for an obese person ($1,429 per person per year) by the population, then multiplying that by the obesity rate.
“With more than 20% of adults obese in 174 metro areas, and only Boulder meeting the government’s goal of 15% obesity rate in 2010, essentially every local leader has a mandate to take significant steps toward reducing obesity,” according to the Gallup report.
What can cities do?
Some cities, like Philadelphia, have already taken a proactive approach to helping residents stay healthier. The Get Healthy Philly initiative is a federally-funded public health program focused on tobacco control, healthy eating, and active living. According to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Philadelphia was one of only four large cities that were awarded grants for both tobacco control and obesity prevention through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.