The Hartford metro area has topped the scales at No. 66 on a list of the nation’s 100 fattest cities – a list where it’s good not to be No. 1.
The analysis by personal finance website WalletHub compared 100 of the most populated U.S. metro areas across 14 metrics ranging from “percentage of adults and high school students who are obese” to “percentage of people who are physically inactive.”
The fattest metro area, No. 1 on the list, was Memphis, Tenn. The thinnest, No. 100, was Honolulu.
Elsewhere in Connecticut, the New Haven-Milford area ranked No. 60 and Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk No. 80. Springfield tipped the scales at No. 64.
By one estimate, Americans spend up to $315.8 billion annually on obesity-related medical treatment, elevating healthcare costs exponentially for obese adults and children compared with healthier individuals, WalletHub said in its report. In the workplace, obesity-related health issues yield indirect costs to the worker and employer alike.
If obesity trends continue at their current rate, treatment costs could rise as much as $66 billion a year and annual productivity losses by up to $580 billion by 2030, WalletHub said.
