Yes, you read that right. The CSRA is in the Top 10 Most Overweight and Obese Cities in the United States! This definitely isn't something the CSRA should be proud of. But unfortunately, Augusta-Richmond County made on this unflattering list that comes from studies done by WalletHub.
Let's be honest! It's no secret that Americans are some of the most overweight people in the world. According to statistics, over 40 percent of U.S. adults are considered obese.
It's not that surprising when you consider the mass amounts of fast-food availability around us. On top of that, it honestly seems more affordable to grab those unhealthier items at the grocery store.
With the expanding waistlines comes more medical issues. In fact, the costs of obesity-related medical treatment has risen to around $190.2 billion a year! It also leads to productivity loss and work absences, that equates to about $4.3 billon.
Obesity is a problem, no matter your age or gender. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, obesity seemed to increase a person's risk for serious symptoms and possibly even tripled their risk of hospitalization, per the CDC.
So WalletHub took on the task to see which places were most responsible for this overwhelming health issues. They compared 100 of the most populated metro areas in the United States. Looking at 19 key indicators for weight-related problems, they saw which areas had more physically inactive adults, which cities had healthy-food access, and projected obesity rates by 2030. They took into account actual statistics on obesity and overweight people in the U.S., health consequences along with food and fitness. And each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 being the "fattest."
So, where did Augusta land on this list? At number NINE! That's right, we are listed in some of the most overweight and obese cities in the United States.
You may notice... a lot of these cities are in the South. Think that has anything to do with our love for good old downhome Southern cooking?
