The United States dropped to second place as the most obese nation, behind new champion Mexico, according to a recent report from the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization.
But when it comes to obesity, Queens is not the biggest loser among the boroughs, The Courier has learned.
The county weighs in at fourth place out of the five boroughs in obesity rates, with 23 percent obese, according to the New York City Department of Health and Hygiene (DOHMH). The statistics are from 2011, the most recent year for which data are available, and the county falls just below the city average of 23.8 percent — a total of nearly 2 million people.
The Bronx has the highest obesity rate, with a whopping 30.2 percent of Bronxites classified as obese. Manhattan is by far the least obese with 14 percent, while Brooklyn is at 27.1 percent and Staten Island at 28.4 percent.
Among Queens districts, the Long Island City, Astoria and Sunnyside area had the highest obesity rate, 30.5 percent. Southwest Queens, which includes Howard Beach, Kew Gardens, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park and Woodhaven, was a close second at 29 percent. The least obese areas include Bayside, Little Neck, Fresh Meadows, Oakland Gardens and Douglaston with 17.4 percent.
Here is how the other neighborhoods stack up:
- West Queens (includes Corona, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Woodside and Maspeth): 21.2 percent
- Flushing/Clearview (includes College Point and Whitestone): 20.4 percent
- Ridgewood/Forest Hills (includes Rego Park and Middle Village): 18.1 percent
- Jamaica (includes Saint Albans and Hollis): 23.9 percent
- Southeast Queens (includes Floral Park, Glen Oak, New Hyde Park, Cambria Heights, Rosedale, Springfield Gardens, Queens Village and Bellerose): 21.3 percent
- The Rockaways (Far Rockaway, Arverne and Breezy Point): 23.5 percent
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