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11.17.2008 10:00 AM

Couch Potato, U.S.A.

The 22 U.S. Communities That Get the Least Exercise

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Photo: Rich Legg / IStock

By Dan Shapley

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released a massive report that assesses the health of the U.S. population according to a number of measures -- from leisure time physical activity to smoking rates and incidence of heart disease.

This is the list of communities (listed by metropolitan statistical area, a Census designation that lumps some suburban areas in with their cities, lumps nearby cities together, or otherwise categorizes regions) where the smallest percentage of people engaged in leisure time activity in the past month. The number beside each community indicates the percentage of respondents to a survey that said they hadn't, in the preceding 30 days, jogged, hiked, gardened, golfed or even walked unless their job demanded it.

Not surprisingly, some of the same communities where nearly 1 in 3 people get no exercise are also among the 15 Least Healthy U.S. Communities. Those communities on both lists are highlighted in bold.

  1. Huntington-Ashland, W.Va.-Ky.-Ohio (31.4)
  2. El Paso, Texas (31.4)
  3. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas (30.9)
  4. New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, La. (30.6)
  5. Memphis, Tenn.-Miss.-Ark. (30.3)
  6. Baton Rouge, La. (30.1)
  7. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. (29.8)
  8. Yuma, Ariz. (29.5)
  9. Jackson, Miss. (29.4)
  10. New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J. (29.3)
  11. Detroit-Livona-Dearborn, Mich. (29.3)
  12. Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. (28.4)
  13. Oklahoma City, Okla. (28.3)
  14. Newark-Union, N.J.-Penn. (27.9)
  15. Tulsa, Okla. (27.6)
  16. Camden, N.J. (27.4)
  17. Louisville, Ky.-Ind. (27.1)
  18. Las Cruces, N.M. (27.1)
  19. Augusta-Richmond County, Ga.-S.C. (26.9)
  20. Hickory-Morgantown-Lenoir, N.C. (26.9)
  21. Little Rock-North Little Rock, Ark. (26.9)
  22. Lubbock, Texas (26.9)

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