Around 35% of Georgia’s adults are obese . More than 28,000 people in the Peach State die of cardiovascular disease every year. Around 12.4% of the population has been diagnosed with diabetes , and an additional 230,000 are thought to be undiagnosed. These are just some of the concerning facts that have influenced Atlanta’s placement as the 14th least healthy populous city in the nation, according to Forbes’ latest rankings .
“In some cities, the rate of chronic disease tends to be higher due to unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as smoking, binge drinking and a lack of physical activity,” Forbes’ Meera Pal reported. “Analyses suggest that income level, education and even commuting patterns may influence why some cities are healthier than others. For example, metro areas with higher incomes tend to have lower levels of people who smoke and have obesity; cities where people drive to work alone are more likely to have more people with obesity.”