by Angel Feliciano, News Staff
The combination of a healthy social environment and mandated medical coverage made Boston seventh-best city to stay young in, according to a Feb. 5 list released by RealAge, a media corporation run by physicians, epidemiologists and media writers.
Jennifer Mehigan from ONEin3, a municipal program that connects Boston’s 20- to 34-year-olds with resources, said she believes Boston deserved to be on this list. She said it’s a great place for young people because of the friendly and lively neighborhoods, and that Bostonians take advantage of these places to stay fit.
“Throughout the year, you can see people running along the Charles River and Southwest Corridor, either preparing for the annual Boston Marathon or just enjoying a run. You also see a lot of people commuting to work by bicycle, and after work playing tennis, basketball, sailing and boating on the harbor and in winter ice skating at the Boston Common,” she said in an email to The News. “Bostonians appreciate nice weather and take full advantage of it.”
RealAge hosts a free online test that indicates a personal rate of aging based on medical tests, and social and lifestyle choices. This study analyzed factors like eating habits, cholesterol, smoking, marital status, stress levels and employment.
Dr. Keith Roach, RealAge.com’s chief medical officer, said 27 million people took the test and listed some of Boston’s strong points, including having good health insurance.
Shan Mohammed, director of Master of Public Health Program in Urban Health at Bouvé College of Health Sciences at NU, said he thinks Boston does well in staying young because of its environment and good medical care.
“The social environment has an impact as well. If you are living in a place where there are a lot of people who are young and eat healthy, that’s gonna support you to do the same. Just like living in a city to have access to green place,” he said. “The flip side is, if you’re socially isolated or you live in an environment where you’re exposed to poor air or water quality, those things can have a very severe impact on your health.”
Mohammed also said that oftentimes, people know what they should do to be healthy but there are situations and environments that make it difficult for them to do that.
“To be in a healthy community, you have to have the awareness of how to be healthy and then you have to live in an environment that supports you in making those decisions,” he said.
Middler mechanical engineering major Emmanuel Llado said he thinks NU helps students make healthy choices.
“The dining halls all have healthy options,” he said. “Also, Marino [Center] is open until 1 a.m., and opens early enough for other students who need a workout before class starts.”
Outside campus, Boston provides a great environment to stay fit, Llado said.
“The environment of Boston alone – it’s filled with college students. They add color to the city,” Llado said.
Amanda Gross, a freshman mathematics major, said other NU students inspire her to live and stay healthy.
“I see so many people walking and running around campus,” she said. “You definitely get influenced by so many people around you. A lot of students at NU are also very well-rounded. When I go to Marino, it’s always full.”
On the other hand, Roach said an inconsistent point in Boston’s assessment was sexual activity. Boston men ranked sixth most sexually-healthy in the country, while women ranked 44th.
Roach said the discrepancy between men’s and women’s ranks is possible because “What tends to be healthy for men is lots of sex, while women want higher-quality sex. We did notice a lot of discrepancy within cities.”
There could also be a simpler explanation, Roach said.
“Either men are lying, women are lying, or both,” he said.
