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May 21, 2008 8:33 pm US/Eastern
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Study Ranks Pgh. Poor For Women's Heart Disease
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
When it comes to heart disease, Pittsburgh may be one of the worst places for women.
A new study from the American Heart Association lists the nation's best and worst heart-friendly cities for women and Pittsburgh has a lot of room for improvement.
The Heart Association looked at 22 factors affecting women's heart health, including death from heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, stress, exercise and smoking.
"We have a large population that smokes, they're overweight," said Dr. Kimberly French, a cardiologist at Allegheny General Hospital. "There's a high saturated fat diet here, so I'm sure that contributes."
The cities that did the worst in the rankings had lots of fast-food restaurants, a tendency for people to drive instead of walk and high smoking rates.
The least heart friendly cities are Nashville, St. Louis, Detroit, followed by Pittsburgh, Dallas, and Columbus, Ohio.
The most heart friendly cities are Minneapolis, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco.
However, you don't have to move across the country to be healthier.
"We really need to encourage people to be more physically active," said Dr. French.
Some things cities can do to improve heart health include making their communities more favorable for walking and encouraging restaurants to highlight heart-friendly choices on their menus.
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