Residents of cities have an inherent pride about where they live. ‘Joburgers,’ happily sacrifice the view of an ocean to be in a city where dreams and fortunes are made. ‘Capetonians’ would argue that it is better and more soothing on the soul to have a seventh wonder in their back yard, be safer and have quality of life, than it is to be making tons of money. Whatever the reason, people are protective of their turf and will bark loud and proud when confronted with “who is better”
Obesity is a growing epidemic worldwide and it is not surprising that insurance companies are wanting to know where they are going to be losing their money; which categories are high risk and which client behavioral areas they need to help change through offering rewards and incentives.
New research compiled by associate Professor Marjanne Senekal, Head, division of nutrition at the University of Cape and her team, in conjunction with Discovery Vitality team brought to light which cities had the highest obesity rate according to the new “ObeCity Index” The index included weight, food and beverage choices, physical activity and psychological well-being and overall vitality ‘ObeCity’ score. Just under 170 000 vitality members across 6 cities contributed to the sample data.
Here is what their research found.
Bloemfontein – The city known for their beautiful roses, farming and agriculture was recently given the wooden spoon as the most obese city in South Africa. Strangely enough they also ranked the lowest scores for fruit and vegetable consumption and second lowest on physical activity.
Pretoria – In an Olympic 100m photo finish, Pretoria came in close second to being the most obese. It must be all the rugby games and court cases that have contributed to Pretoria being the laziest city with the least physically active score. They were also ranked the highest in adding fat to food after cooking and had the lowest in quality of sleep.
Port Elizabeth – In third place we have the windy city who did not perform too badly in the physical activity category compared to the other cities but did get a slap on the wrist for loving food and beverages almost as much as the Bloemfontainers.
Durban – With such beautiful mountain bike trails, beach trails and beaches, it’s hard not to believe that Durban came in second with P.E for being one of the most physically activity cities in South Africa. What pulled Durbanites down was their low fruit and vegetable intake, eating less lean meat and low dairy.
Johannesburg – Not bad for second place. Joburgers ranked the best in having the leanest bodies. This could be one of the very good reasons why so many Joburgers go down to the coast each year. What brought Jozi down from being crowned the best city was being the least physically active after their close neighbours Pretoria.
Cape Town – The moment all Capetonians have been waiting for, queue the drum roll…Cape Town has officially been crowned the healthiest city in South Africa. CT according to the data, placed a lot of emphasis on good foods, physical activity and having a leaner waistline. So, not only do Capetonians have ‘the mountain’ but a good lifestyle too.
As citizens of South Africa we can appreciate the humour in the data especially since we all know what Pretorians are getting for Xmas this year, gym memberships and skipping ropes. We can also appreciate the severity of the data and that if we don’t do anything about our lifestyle choices, it is going to cost us dearly and perhaps possibly with our lives. I hope that the mayors of each city start a campaign to help educate their cities of better lifestyle choices, give incentives to businesses who promote health and wellness and promote physically active events each month.
[su_quote]Thought provoking Question:
Do city do you think is the most obese? Comment below or tweet me @SeanVStaden[/su_quote]
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