How Healthy Is Providence for Men and Women?

Saturday, January 14, 2012

GoLocalProv Health Team

Who fares better in the Capital City? Men or women?

A new major ranking of America's healthiest cities has drawn lines down the gender divide. So just how healthy is Providence for men and for women? And how does it compare to the rest of the country's largest cities?

How they got the numbers

For the fourth year, Men's Health and Women's Health magazines sponsored a major statistical look at more than 30 factors that contribute to a city's healthiness: from obesity and breast cancer rates to commuting times and hours spent working out. One hundred of the largest cities in the US compete on these measures for bragging rights when it comes to being where the fittest, happiest women (or men) reside.

For women

This year, Providence hung in at #49 to stay in the top half of the healthiest spots for women. It lost by just one slot to #48 New York, but didn't fare so well compared to its sister New England major cities. Burlington, VT took a studly #5, followed by Portland, ME at #8, Boston, MA at #19, Manchester, NH at #24 and Bridgeport, CT at #35.   Top honors in 2012 went to Raleigh, NC, followed by #2 San Jose, CA and #3 Madison, WI. Bringing up the rear was Birmingham, AL at #100.

For men

On the men's front similar health data points were used, but adapted to male health factors, including exercise, employment, and air quality, diabetes and depression, using sources from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the CDC, and the FBI.  The news was not any better for Providence on the healthy male front: in fact, the Capital City dropped two points in the overall ranking to #51. For men, the top spots this year were Burlington, VT at #1, following by Madison, WI at #2, and Plano, TX at #3. San Jose, CA and Boise, ID rounded out the top 5.  

Providence's #51 ranking was a poor showing compared to its New England competitors. Portland, ME took #14 and Manchester, NH came in at #17. Boston took #24 on the men's health scale, followed by Bridgeport, CT at #30.  

For men nationally, though, the unhealthiest major city was Memphis, TN, at #100.

  For all the women's health rankings, go here.  

For all the men's health rankings, go here.

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Comments:

Charles Beckers

11:30am on Saturday, January 14, 2012

Are these rankings for residents of the cities or for people who work in the cities? Does it differentiate between residents who work in the city and those who leave the city for work? Those two factors make a significant difference for cities in which commuters are a major component of the daily population.

The answers to my questions may be in the links, but I cannot access those link without providing my email address to yet another website that will undoubtedly be sending me more spam. Yes, that's a complaint, GoLocalProv.