Metro Phoenix could use added support for people to live healthy and active lifestyles compared to 15 other large cities in the United States. At least that’s according to a new program and report by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) in Indianapolis, in conjunction with the WellPoint Foundation.

The ACSM American Fitness Index™ (AFI) inaugural data report, “Health and Community Fitness Status of 16 Large Metropolitan Areas,” is a snapshot of the state of health and fitness in America’s 15 most populous metropolitan areas, plus Greater Indianapolis.*

The Greater Phoenix area ranked as the 11th fittest among America’s largest metropolitan areas.

“At this point we, would just like to inform the Phoenix area of its position and have an opportunity to chat about the program with city officials in the various areas reflected in the report,” said Barbara Ainsworth, Arizona State University Exercise and Wellness professor and vice-chair for the development of the American Fitness Index™.

The AFI data report breaks down several components related to health and fitness, including a unique evaluation of community-level data, and offers strengths and weaknesses of each city. In addition to a data report, the AFI is a program designed to improve health, fitness and quality of life in the United States by promoting physical activity.

The data reveals that citizens in the Valley of the Sun have lower than average rates for chronic health diseases and a lower obesity rate. An above average number of the local population exercised in the last 30 days, but only 53.6 percent reported being physically active regularly at least at moderate intensity. Only 23 percent of its citizens eat five or more fruits and vegetables per day. Phoenix invested on average with its peer cities on park-related expenditures, yet it scored lower than average on recreational facilities and creating an environment conducive to physical activity.

"We have a public health problem in the United States that must be addressed,” said Ainsworth. “Americans are simply not getting enough physical activity and that is contributing to the rise of chronic health issues and the increasing costs of health care. Phoenix, Mesa and the entire region isn’t immune to this problem. The ACSM American Fitness Index, developed by a panel of experts, can help put our community on the right track by providing benchmarks to measure the success of our efforts."

An ACSM research team from the Indiana University School of Family Medicine collected and analyzed the data gleaned from U.S. Census data, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), and other existing research data in order to give a scientific, accurate snapshot of the health and fitness status at a metropolitan level.

So who was the fittest city? San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area took that honor, with Seattle following close behind.

For a complete release and list of the data components, visit www.AmericanFitnessIndex.org.

*As the headquarters of ACSM, Indianapolis was included in the rankings.