San Francisco tops list of fittest U.S. cities

San Francisco is famous for its steep hills and fresh food, so it may come as no surprise that it wins the honor as the fittest city in the United States, according to a new report.

San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area narrowly edged out Seattle in the first American Fitness Index released last week by the American College of Sports Medicine and the WellPoint Foundation.

Nearly 32 percent of San Franciscans eat five or more fruits and vegetables per day, the study showed. Residents are more likely to have health insurance, less likely to have chronic health problems and less likely to smoke.

The Bay Area also scored well for parks and athletic facilities and had an above-average number of commuters who bike, walk or use public transportation.

Researchers from Indiana University School of Family Medicine analyzed data from the U.S. Census, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and other information to compile the report.

"This report issues a call to action to improve the overall health, fitness and quality of life in the United States," Walt Thompson, the chair of the AFI Advisory Board, said in a statement.

Rounding out the five fittest cities of the 16 most populated metropolitan cities were Boston, followed by Washington D.C. and Atlanta.

Cities that rely heavily on the automobile, like Houston and Los Angeles, fared poorly in the fitness ranking.

But it was the Motor City, Detroit, that rolled into last place.

一份最新调查报告显示，旧金山被评为美国“最健康的城市”。旧金山以其险峻的山峦和鲜美的食物而著名，所以获此殊荣并不奇怪。

美国运动医学院及Wellpoint基金会于上周联合发布了美国首份健康指数报告。报告显示，旧金山及其周边的湾区以微弱优势击败西雅图，荣登健康指数榜首位。

调查显示，旧金山近32%的市民每天摄入五份或五份以上的水果和蔬菜；那里的人更愿意拥有健康保险，患慢性疾病的几率较低，吸烟的人也相对较少。

旧金山湾区在公园及运动设施方面的得分也较高，而且该地区骑自行车、步行或乘公交上下班的通勤者数量高于调查平均值。

这份报告是印第安纳大学家庭医学院的研究人员在对来自美国人口普查局、疾病防控中心的行为风险因素监控系统及其他信息渠道的数据进行综合分析后撰写的。

AFI咨询理事会主席沃特•汤普森在一份声明中称：“这份报告向全美国人民发出行动号召：增进全面健康，提高生活质量。

除旧金山和西雅图外，美国16个人口最密集的大都市中跻身该榜前五名的还包括波士顿、华盛顿和亚特兰大。

休斯敦和洛杉矶等大量使用机动车的城市在健康榜上的排名比较靠后。

不过排在最后一位的是“汽车城”底特律。

Vocabulary:

chronic health problem: 慢性病