San Jose, CA, is home to the fittest baby boomers in the United States, according to a list released Tuesday by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and The Huffington Post.
Cities on the Top 10 Fittest Baby Boomer Cities in America list were identified based on a survey that evaluated factors contributing to a fit and active lifestyle as people age. The country's 50 largest metropolitan areas were rated on life expectancy, cardiovascular health and reported stress levels of baby boomers, as well as access to local health care and fitness resources. When possible, data was used which specifically measured the target demographic of adults over the age of 50, according to the APTA.
In San Jose, the average life expectancy is 82.48 years old, 91.8 percent of residents have health insurance and 95.6 percent of residents report that they are satisfied or very satisfied with their life. The city also has 0.64 hospitals and 2.4 fitness facilities per 100,000 people.
Minneapolis, which earlier this year topped the American College of Sports Medicine's list of fittest metropolitan cities for the third consecutive year, is No. 2 on the fittest baby boomer list. However, Minneapolis has 7.27 gyms per 100,000 people, the most of any city.
Rounding out the top 10 are San Francisco; Denver; Boston; Salt Lake City; Washington, DC; Seattle; San Diego; and Raleigh, NC.
Although the APTA said that this is the first survey to evaluate which cities are best suited to helping baby boomers stay healthy and fit as they age, other research has identified a growing problem with obesity among baby boomers.
According to "F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2013," a report released in August by the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, obesity rates for baby boomers are now 30 percent or higher in 41 states. In Alabama and Louisiana, rates have reached 40 percent for baby boomers.