Alabama’s largest cities have higher obesity rates than the state’s already high average, a trend that has accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
City Health data for Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile all showed an increase in obesity between 2016 and 2021, with the steepest increases occurring since 2019. Huntsville saw the biggest increases, with obesity rates rising from 32.6% to 43.7%. Birmingham saw its rate rise from 41.7% to 44.9%, and Mobile saw its rate rise from 39% to 41.3%.
City Health, a project of the Department of Population Health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Tracks data on 40 health indicators It covers 970 US cities with populations of over 50,000. The data is intended to help policymakers identify locations to target for interventions such as public health campaigns and built environment initiatives like parks and greenways.
The South has long had some of the most obese regions in the country, on average. In 2009, Time magazine wrote:Why are Southerners fat?The magazine blames a combination of educational challenges, unhealthy eating habits and hot weather for obesity. In cities surveyed by City Health where data is available, the average obesity rate rose from 29.2% to 32.3% between 2016 and 2021.
Obesity rates are typically collected through self-report surveys by state health departments or the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, so there is usually a time lag of at least several years.
Using 2022 data, the Alabama Department of Public Health State Adult Obesity Rates 38.3%, based on data similar to the rankings released by the U.S. New & World Report. Al.com reported in May The state’s obesity rate, at 37.9%, is the seventh highest in the nation.
Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile have already exceeded that mark, and the trends are heading in the wrong direction, according to City Health data for 2021. In all three cities, the data shows the coronavirus pandemic has halted years of progress toward modest reductions in obesity rates.
The pandemic’s impact on obesity rates is complicated: A USDA study found that people are exercising more but sleeping less, and drinking more alcohol but smoking less. The study Obesity increased by 3% nationwide between March 2020 and March 2021, due to increased alcohol consumption and decreased smoking.
But the impact has not been felt equally everywhere. The CDC analysis found regional variations in obesity during the pandemic, with the highest rates in the Midwest. Obesity rates surpass those in the SouthThis trend has continued ever since.
the 2023 State of Obesity ReportThe nonpartisan research organization Trust for America’s Health has proposed several policy initiatives that it claims would help reduce obesity.
- Fully fund CDC chronic disease and obesity prevention programs in all states.
- Increase access to school lunches and nutrition assistance programs like SNAP
- Making physical activity safer and more accessible in municipalities across the country
Greenway and trail systems, such as those being developed in cities around Alabama, include: Birmingham, Huntsville and cell phoneis one of the solutions that municipalities have built to increase opportunities for outdoor exercise.
The Alabama 100 Mile Challenge is a statewide initiative. Residents are required to log 100 miles per year You can cycle through the state’s parks, nature preserves and rivers. According to the state’s website, 7,580 Alabamians have cycled 268,955 miles so far, even when it’s hot outside.
