Indy fitness ranking among metro areas drops from 36 to 44

By Barb Berggoetz barb.berggoetz@indystar.com
May 25, 2010 07:49 AM

Indianapolis-area residents are still eating too much and exercising too little, a new survey shows. And our health is, in many ways, getting worse.

The metro area dropped to 44th in a national health and fitness ranking of the 50 most-populous areas in the country. Last year, the 10-county area was ranked 36th in the annual American College of Sports Medicine’s American Fitness Index. This year’s results were released Monday by the Indianapolis-based organization.

“That’s a huge drop in one year,” said Dr. Virginia Caine, director of the Marion County Health Department. “I know we can be healthier as a community. We have some excellent resources. But people have to avail themselves of those resources.”

The survey measured personal health behaviors such as exercising, smoking and eating fruits and vegetables, as well as chronic health problems such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. It also considered community factors such as recreational facilities, the “built environment” (acres of parkland, for example) and health policies.

Less than half of Indianapolis residents are moderately physically active, and only a quarter eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, the study showed. More of us suffer from diabetes and asthma, and die from cardiovascular disease, than reported in the same survey in 2009.

Only three local strengths were cited — more golf courses per capita, higher state physical education requirements and more primary health-care providers per capita. Even that figure — 104 per 100,000 people — dropped by 20 from last year. But it was called a strength because it was higher than the other areas’ average.

The Indianapolis metro area in the study involves Boone, Brown, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion, Morgan, Putnam and Shelby counties.

The survey cited 18 weaknesses for the metro area, in which local results were worse than the average national score. The obesity rate went up 1.3 percentage points to 28.6 percent. An already high smoking rate went up almost 1 percentage point to 23.5 percent. The death rate for cardiovascular disease per 100,000 people jumped to 250 from 216.

While the diabetes rate went up to 10.9 percent from 7.8 percent in 2009, the death rate per 100,000 people due to complications from diabetes improved to 20.7 from 23.8.

“We have more people being diagnosed, but people are managing their diabetes better,” said Jennifer Pferrer, Indiana-area executive director of the American Diabetes Association. “For us, this means we have to continue to educate people about prevention, understanding risk factors and the complications and consequences of diabetes.”

Taking the pulse of the metro area

The metro area was cited for three strengths and 18 weaknesses in the 2010 American College of Sports Medicine’s American Fitness Index. A strength means the city’s statistics were higher when compared with the average result for all 50 metropolitan areas that were evaluated; a weakness means those statistics were lower.

Our strengths

» Higher level of state requirement for physical education classes.

» More golf courses per capita.

» Higher number of primary health-care providers per capita.

Our weaknesses

» Higher percentage who smoke.

» Higher percentage with asthma.

» Higher death rate for cardiovascular disease. (New Indianapolis weakness this year.)

» Higher percentage who are obese. (New.)

» Higher percentage with diabetes. (New.)

» Fewer acres of parkland per capita.

» Lower percentage using public transit to commute.

» Fewer ball diamonds per capita.

» Fewer park playgrounds per capita.

» Fewer recreation centers per capita.

» Fewer tennis courts per capita.

» Lower percentage of city land area as parkland.

» Fewer farmers markets per capita.

» Lower percentage bicycling or walking to work.

» Fewer dog parks per capita.

» Fewer swimming pools per capita.

» Lower park-related expenditures per capita.

» Fewer park units per capita