Arlington County’s run as the fittest “city” in America continues for a seventh consecutive year.
New rankings released Tuesday by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) again placed Arlington in the top spot, with Washington, D.C. and Seattle rounding out the top three.
“Arlington ranked first in community/environmental indicators,” ACSM said in a press release. “And, although it ranked fourth in personal health indicators, Arlington had the highest rate of residents exercising in the previous month (87.8%), had the most getting seven or more hours of sleep a night (76.4%) and the lowest percentage smoking (3.4%).”
Arlington was also one of five places receiving high marks as 99% of the county is within a 10-minute walk to a park.
Nationwide, ACSM found that more people are walking and biking to work. The organization notes, however, a decrease in reports of excellent or very good health.
The amount of Americans reporting poor physical health and mental health has also increased, ACSM said.
An excerpt from the ACSM’s press release is below.
Arlington, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and Seattle, Washington, are the top cities in the 17th annual ACSM American Fitness Index ® (Fitness Index) rankings published by the American College of Sports Medicine ® (ACSM) and the Elevance Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Elevance Health. This year’s rankings and findings for America’s 100 largest cities also revealed significant changes and trends.
The Fitness Index results — based on 33 evidence-based indicators — showed more Americans are walking and biking to work, park expenditures are up, and food security improved slightly. Conversely, residents in the 100 largest cities are not exercising enough to meet minimum ACSM standards, the number of people getting seven hours or more of sleep each night is down and there was a decrease in reports of excellent/very good health as well as an increase in residents reporting poor physical health and mental health.
“As an organization that is committed to, connected to, and invested in our communities, the Elevance Health Foundation has pledged to strengthen our communities and address health inequities in our country. Similarly, ACSM works to extend and enrich lives through the power of movement,” said Shantanu Agrawal, M.D., chief health officer of Elevance Health. “The Fitness Index is the intersection between our aspirational paths, bringing our unified visions to life as we provide practical resources to communities.”
Dr. Agrawal added that “the Fitness Index is a powerful tool that can help us address the physical, behavioral, and social drivers of health in communities while providing the data and expertise that empower advocates and city officials alike. That means our partnership with ACSM extends to advocates across the nation who can leverage these insights and tailor their efforts to promote policies that address specific community needs.”
Rounding out the top ten fittest cities are San Francisco, California; Madison, Wisconsin; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Denver, Colorado; Atlanta, Georgia; Irvine, California; and St. Paul, Minnesota. Full rankings and scores, a call-to-action report, a city comparison tool and other insights are accessible on the Fitness Index website: acsm.org/fitnessindex.
“The Fitness Index offers four ways city leaders and residents can make a substantial difference: fuel knowledge, celebrate success, inspire action and join the movement,” said ACSM President Stella Volpe, Ph.D., FACSM, ACSM-CEP. “The significance and value of the index goes well beyond the rankings. City officials can use the Fitness Index as a baseline to measure progress and make data-driven decisions that improve residents’ health. This data can also serve as a yardstick for future evaluation, enabling cities to track their progress and celebrate their achievements in creating healthier and more vibrant communities.”
The top three cities in the Fitness Index enjoyed strong performances in distinctly different areas. Arlington ranked first in community/environmental indicators. And, although it ranked fourth in personal health indicators, Arlington had the highest rate of residents exercising in the previous month (87.8%), had the most getting seven or more hours of sleep a night (76.4%) and the lowest percentage smoking (3.4%).
