Bismarck is the ‘Couch Potato Capital of North Dakota’
Happy Father's Day, everyone! Not to put a damper on Dad's day, but it seems that Bismarck has earned a new title, 'The Couch Potato Capital of North Dakota.'
It's no secret that the obesity rate through the country has been steadily increasing for the past several years. In fact, since 1980, the obesity rate has gone from under 20 percent to 39.6 percent. Yikes!
One of the key components of that statistic is exercise, or lack thereof, for that matter. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week for adults and at least two muscle-strengthening activities each week as well. However, recent studies have shown that just 21 percent of Americans are getting the CDC's recommended amount of exercise.
For each state, the percentage of adults who are physically active and percentage of adults who have access to an area for exercise was reviewed. The results for Bismarck and all of North Dakota are shown here:
> Adults who do not exercise: 22.5% (North Dakota: 23.8%)
> Population with no access to exercise locations: 26.5% (North Dakota: 23.8%)
> Obesity rate: 30.6% (North Dakota: 31.8%)
> Adults in fair or poor health: 12.4% (North Dakota: 14.3%)
> Median household income: $65,527 (North Dakota: $60,656)
The method for gathering those statistics involved extrapolating data that showed the share of adults in a metro area who stay physically active during their free time and the share of the population with access to areas for physical activities.
Given the fact that North Dakota only contains three regions that are considered to be 'metro areas' (the other two being Fargo and Grand Forks), there was already a decent chance that Bismarck would earn the title of 'Couch Potato Capital of North Dakota.'
But enough with the boring and unfortunate statistics. After all, it's Father's Day. Happy Father's Day to all the terrific dads out there! Whether you're a couch potato today or you're out and about and being active, make sure your Dad has a great day!