May 25, 2010
Contact:
Ryan Puckett, 317-450-3723
ACSM American Fitness Index™
Walter Thompson, 404-413-8365
GSU Regents' Professor
BALTIMORE - Georgia State University Regents' Professor Walter Thompson played a key role in a study released this week that provides a snapshot of health and fitness in the nation's largest cities.
The American College of Sports Medicine's American Fitness Index™ report, "Health and Community Fitness Status of the 50 Largest Metropolitan Areas," found the Washington, D.C. metro area to be the highest ranking city for the third year in a row.
The city of Atlanta ranked 16th on the list, making it the healthiest metropolitan area in the Southeast.
"The American Fitness Index not only measures the state of health and fitness in our nation's largest communities, but evaluates the infrastructure, community assets, policies and opportunities that encourage residents to live a healthy and fit lifestyle," said Thompson, American Fitness Index Advisory Board Chair.
A Regents' Professor of exercise science in the GSU College of Education's Department of Kinesiology and Health, Thompson added: "I liken the data report and rankings to the metro areas ‘getting a physical exam' at the doctor's office. The information learned from the physical exam will help each metro area identify areas of strength and weakness."
The American College of Sports Medicine received a grant from the WellPoint Foundation, based in Indianapolis, to present the 2010 data report.
To read the entire report, visit: http://www.americanfitnessindex.org.