Tennesseans rank among most unhealthy eaters in the U.S.
Tennessee is home to some of the unhealthiest eaters in the nation, according to a new survey that ranks people’s eating habits across 189 cities.
Four of the state’s six largest metro areas fell in the bottom 30 of the list from the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index. Memphis was nearly at the bottom, ranking 188th out of 189 communities:
Chattanooga: 127 Kingsport-Bristol: 131 Knoxville: 162 Nashville-Murfreesboro-Franklin: 163 Clarksville: 185 Memphis: 188
Healthy eating is at an all-time low across the country, which was “first and foremost a little bit of a red flag” about what communities should be looking at, said Susan Frankle, managing director of the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index.
Food’s impact on emotional health is emerging as an area of focus. The correlation between rates of depression and stress among respondents surprised the Gallup-Sharecare researchers. The connection between eating habits and high cholesterol and high blood pressure as well as other chronic diseases was expected.
Of people who said they did not eat healthily the previous day, 12.3 percent reported current depression and 49.6 percent reported stress. Of those who said they ate healthy, 8.1 percent reported current depression and 36 percent reported stress.
The decision about what to eat affects health, but the factors that influence a person’s decision have roots in social and personal satisfaction as well as financial stability.
The responses about satisfaction or contentment in life, work and relationships could “help us design how to think about direct and indirect strategies” that communities can take to promote healthier eating, said Michael Acker, general manager of the Blue Zones Project at Sharecare. Sharecare bought Healthways, Gallup’s longtime partner on the Well-Being Index.
There is demand for healthier options, especially in more affluent pockets, but the results point to a divide between places that actively encourage health and places that don’t. There’s also a growing disparity between access to fresh, healthy foods in rural areas as compared to more urban communities, Michael said.
Tennessee, along with the rest of the South, has a higher concentration of fast food, Acker said. In areas farther from a full grocery or affordable locally grown food, fast food often is the easiest option.
Communities can establish councils and change zoning regulations to improve access to fresh food.
Employers and hospitals can encourage healthy choices by bringing mobile farmers markets, such as at NCH Healthcare System in Naples, Fla., which also removed sugary beverages from vending machines and cafeterias. Naples ranked first in the index, followed by Barnstable, Mass.
Strategies that can increase access and encourage better choices include using vacant lots for community gardens, changing zoning regulations so fast-food places are a certain distance from schools, promoting farmers markets, trying to connect local farmers with restaurants and groups that teach healthy cooking, and providing incentives for places that offer healthy foods to go to neighborhoods or towns that lack options.