Washington DC Area Ranks First for Health and Wellbeing

The data is in, and the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, encompassing Prince George's County, ranks first among 50 cities and surrounding suburbs for health, fitness and quality of life, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.

ACSM gathered data from federal reports and past studies to calculate scores for U.S. metropolitan areas, published as the American Fitness Index Report. Our first-place rank is based on two indicators: personal health (physical activity and health status) and community health (environment and resources).

This is the second year the AFI has been published, and Washington DC ranked first in 2009 as well. (The pilot study was in 2008.)

Here are the top five metropolitan areas overall for this year:

1. Washington, DC, score 73.5
2. Boston, Mass., 72.6
3. Minneapolis, Minn., 71.7
4. Seattle, Wash., 70.5
5. Portland, Or., 70.4

What's unique about this data collection is the fact that an analysis comes with it. Some of the strengths listed for our area include residents' diet, mental health, smoking and obesity rates, as well as number of swimming pools and a high state requirements for physical education classes.

You can find a breakdown of our individual scores here. Some highlights include a percentage of residents who smoke that is 6 percent lower than the U.S. rate; an obesity rate 4 percent below the U.S. rate; and a percentage of residents with health care that is 5 percent higher than the U.S. rate.

ACSM reminds us that this doesn't mean "the highest ranked city has excellent values across all indicators." Washington DC's challenges ahead are those receiving a score below the average of all the metropolitan areas. We have four: fewer acres of parkland, playgrounds, dog parks and golf courses per capita.

These community-based indicators placed Washington, DC third for that category. Minneapolis and Cincinnati, ranked third and 12th overall, respectively, scored well ahead of Washington, DC for community health indicators (environment and resources). We're also third overall for personal health indicators. Boston, ranked second overall, and Denver, ranked sixth overall, are ahead of Washington, DC in this category.

This certainly doesn't mean it's time to get on our pedestal. The health disparities of our area are intense, as indicated by the goal of the new University of Maryland Prevention Research Center to address the high STD rate in Prince George's County and along the National-Capitol border. Our county is also burdened with one of the highest infant mortality rates in the state. This will be one of the main issues addressed by the new Madieu Williams Center for Global Health Initiatives. But as our capable student and faculty researchers and volunteers move forward with their efforts to tackle these problems, we can know we have the support of a community that recognizes the value of public health initiatives, and in what has already been accomplished.