CDC maps show diabetes, inactivity 'very closely tied'

Activity, health: By county

By Mary Brophy Marcus
USA TODAY
Colorado has one of the most active populations in the country and Kentucky has one of the least active, according to a new government study that looked at people's physical activity county by county.

This is the third in a series of county-focused reports by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first two looked at diabetes and obesity rates, says Ann Albright, director of the CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation.
"When you actually take all three maps together, it really does give you this clear picture that the Southern and Appalachian areas on all three — obesity, diabetes and inactivity — are very closely tied to each other. It lets you step back and gives the big picture," Albright says.

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"Physical inactivity is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes and obesity, so it's not surprising this study mirrors that the diabetes and obesity-prone Southern states have more inactive counties, he says. Physical activity is any dedicated and purposeful moving beyond normal everyday activities.

"At every level of society we need to make it easier to do routine exercise as part of our day," says Susan Spratt, an endocrinologist at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.

Click here to access the CDC report. To see Lee County data, as well as the other counties in Florida, click here.

The CDC hopes community groups and policy makers use the data to promote communities with sidewalks and access to parks and recreation areas that encourage people to get out and exercise.