Statistics – stop
reading for a minute and think about what this word means to you.
There
is assumption that you (the reader) grew up in America and have heard and seen
this term in many forms and fashions your entire life: “looking at the
statistics,” “statisticians say,” “based off statistical data,”… it seems every bit of information provided
today is based off of and supported by physical data – statistics.
But
what does statistics truly signify?
And is most information provided by “statistics” factual?
Thanks
to the online American Heritage Dictionary (1), “sta-tis-tics” is a noun and
defined as the “mathematics of collection, organization, and interpretation of
numerical data; especially the analysis of population characteristics by
inference from sampling.”
In spring
of 2010, Men’s Health Magazine dubbed Corpus Christi the “fattest city in
America” out of 100 cities in the nation.
On top of that, nine out of the one-hundred cities included in the list
were Texas cities including Houston, San Antonio, and Austin. And on top of
that one, five out of those nine cities were in the top ten ranking out of the
one-hundred cities. Is Texas THAT big?
I
remember reading this article when it appeared in the magazine (yes, I read
Men’s Health from time to time) and thinking ‘how absurd.’ At the time, I had
not yet moved to Corpus to attend TAMU-CC so my negative thoughts were directed
in a cold-shoulder fashion. For a minute I reconsidered moving to the city
because of this “factual “statistic –thankfully, that only lasted for a minute.
I moved
to the city in August 2010 and could not help but find that list to be as
ridiculous as the thought I had about moving to Corpus just a few months ago.
Every day and all day I saw not just a few people but MANY people of all ages,
sizes, and races on the sidewalks and bike lanes simply exercising. I then
thought ‘how could this place be the fattest city in America?’ You see, I come from a very predictable town.
It is not a small place but it is not large enough to be a city like Corpus –
it is an inbetween-er. We have all the typical restaurants and shopping areas
such as Chili’s and Wal-Mart and like many people in America, a lot of the
people in my town are overweight. The word “health” to my town is like oil to
water – no mixing. I grew up never knowing that there are such events as paying
to run a race for the general public to participate in. With this sedentary
up-bringing when I came to Corpus I was thrilled to see so many people
exercising all the time because I never ever saw this at home. Granted the area
is much bigger than where I am from but regardless, people were moving and with
this observation I was ecstatic.
After
the Men’s Health article was released, the Corpus Christi Caller Times were all
over it. On April 19, 2010, Katherine Rosenberg released an article quoting a
local registered dietician and the major at the time of publication, “it is not
surprising but it is not a title we deserve.” Rosenberg is sure to include the
fact that Corpus has a high rate of Type 2 Diabetes which is a lack-in-proper
health-related condition that can easily be reversed with a nutritious diet and
regular exercise. Later than year in October, NBC News covers the beginning of
a campaign set in place to bring awareness about the current health problem to
the residents of Corpus. Titled Journey
to Health, the event brought in a well known fitness author and health
advocate to kick start the campaign. The goal of this movement was to establish
a city-wide treaty of losing, in total, 50,000 pounds.
There
is no exact knowledge of how the editors at Men’s Health were able to determine
the statistic they printed about Corpus Christi. In my opinion, the statistic
was not accurate and brought a very negative view on the city. This is
supported by the fact that it was a health magazine
with the statistic – not a medical organization. On the contrary, the bad
review opened the eyes of the city’s officials and prominent leaders such as
doctors, dieticians, health professionals, and councilmen to take charge of the
health issue at hand by creating a campaign.
In
present time, I am still a resident of Corpus Christi and still see many, many
people enjoying various types of exercise on the sidewalks and streets every
day. This city is aware, this city is active. After the Color Me Rad event that took place today near Whataburger Field, I
most definitely say that Corpus is NOT the fattest city in America.
And
besides, why single out one city when we could all join together and take a
stand against obesity as a unit? Is that not what America was founded on –
UNITY??
by: Dara Dalton
