Parks/playgrounds

Spartanburg County, SC

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:56:53 -0600

Decades of deindustrialization and subsequent job losses have taken a significant toll on the financial health of Spartanburg County, once a booming textile center and transportation hub in northwest South Carolina. The economic downturn has also affected the physical health of Spartanburg residents, 70 percent of whom are obese or overweight. Many suffer from multiple problems associated with their weight.

Grant County, NM

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:53:18 -0600

For all the sweeping natural beauty of Grant County—majestic mountains, fragrant pine forests, high desert grasslands—there is also the triple challenge of poverty, isolation and infrastructure.

The county covers 3,900 square miles, but its population, divided almost evenly between Whites and Hispanics, is less than 30,000. Nearly half of all residents live in small rural communities distant from the county’s four incorporated towns. Thirty-eight areas are designated as colonias because of substandard housing, water and sewage systems and streets.

Rochester, NY

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:46:39 -0600

Like other Great Lakes cities, Rochester has spent the past several decades confronting a shrinking manufacturing base, job losses and deepening poverty. The health of many residents has suffered as a consequence, and perhaps hardest hit have been residents of the Crescent, as the deteriorating neighborhoods immediately surrounding downtown are known.

Nash and Edgecombe Counties, NC

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:20:45 -0600

Obesity comes early in Nash and Edgecombe counties: 29 percent of young children in the two North Carolina jurisdictions are obese or overweight before kindergarten.

It’s an extremely troubling pattern and one that only gets far worse with age. Among men and women here, nearly three out of every four are obese or overweight. The adult rate places Nash and Edgecombe among the top five heaviest counties in North Carolina.

Kingston, NY

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:12:05 -0600

It’s a historic city that was New York’s first capital, a gateway city to the outdoor fun of the Catskill Mountains. Yet here on the banks of the Hudson River, Kingston is also a city trying to recast itself—as a community that helps its residents be physically active and healthy.

With nearly a fifth of its population of 24,000 living in poverty, and about 44 percent of youth overweight or obese, this aspiration will not be easy to achieve.

Kansas City, MO/KS

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:10:51 -0600

Only a state line separates Missouri’s Kansas City from Kansas City, Kan., but like most big metropolitan areas, this one is a mix of neighborhoods with sometimes similar, sometimes distinct characteristics. Take Argentine, a mostly Latino community on the Kansas side of the line, and Ivanhoe, a predominantly African-American neighborhood on the Missouri side. The flavor of each is very different, but they share one thing in particular when it comes to health: Both communities suffer from high rates of childhood obesity.

Jackson, MS

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:07:52 -0600

The City with Soul, as Jackson is known, is steeped in a rich heritage of food and southern hospitality. Nightclubs and small juke joints play an intoxicating mix of jazz, blues, rock, rap and hip hop. The winters are mild, the summers hot and humid, and here along the slow-moving Pearl River, it all makes for a distinct sense of place in Mississippi’s biggest city.

Houston, TX

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:05:26 -0600

Since 2005, when Houston was named the Fattest City in America by Men’s Fitness Magazine, top officials have been on a mission to promote wellness among all residents. Theirs is a formidable task. Houston is the fourth largest city in the country. Its 2 million residents represent a diverse mix of ethnicities, races and nationalities. Household incomes fall below the national average. An estimated 30 percent of the population is uninsured.

Flint, MI

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:57:05 -0600

Exactly where do Flint’s children play these days?

In this city 70 miles northwest of Detroit, many young people don’t have much of an answer. Flint has struggled since the decline of auto industry, and the community continues to grapple with high unemployment, acute poverty and vacant, blighted properties. Many parks are poorly maintained. Students can feel unsafe walking to school.

So the kids stay inside. One-third of Flint’s youth participate infrequently in physical activity.

Fitchburg, MA

rosalie — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:55:45 -0600

Fitchburg sits in the shadow of bustling Boston to the east and the magnificent Mohawk Trail to the west. Fitchburg cannot claim either of those attributes. The north-central Massachusetts city of 40,000 has been struggling since its paper industry collapsed and then disappeared in the 1970s.