Dayton ranks among Top 50 most overweight cities in U.S., new study says

MIAMI VALLEY — A new study factoring in weight, health issues, and fitness shows that obesity rates in Ohio are among the worst in the country.

The problem costs almost $200 billion a year.

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News Center 7′s Nick Foley broke down the data and spoke with someone at Premier Health on Tuesday.

“I think it’s honestly the single biggest issue that see in public health,” said Dr. Joseph Allen, regional medical Premier Health.

He told Foley the problem is prevalent at every age level.

“Folks are not as active as they once were,” he explained. “And so, you compound that with high-calorie diets, not a whole lot of activity. And you end up with stuff like this that results in the other kind of downstream health issues.”

Issues include diabetes, cardiac and vascular complications, and congestive heart failure.

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Eight Ohio cities rank in the nation’s Top 50 most overweight cities in the country, according to a new study by WalletHub.

It compared 100 of the most populated U.S. metro areas across 19 key indicators of weight-related problems.

Dayton ranked No. 39 on the list.

Here’s where other Ohio cities ranked:

• No. 18- Canton
• No. 20- Youngstown
• No. 32- Akron
• No. 33- Toledo
• No. 40- Columbus
• No. 42- Cincinnati
• No. 46- Cleveland

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Dr. Allen said the key to fighting the problem is to start small and make lasting changes. Whether it’s on the track or making different choices at the grocery store.

The key is to begin gradually and work towards a permanent goal.

“You can’t just say, oh my gosh, eat, eat this, you know, super strict diet and go out and run a marathon tomorrow and run a marathon every day and it’s going to solve the problem,” he explained. “It’s way bigger than that and you have to do something that is going to be a behavioral change that can last for quite some time.”

Dr. Allen also said that you want to make small changes that you can continue potentially for the rest of your life.

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