Louisiana may revel in Mardi Gras festivities annually, and hunting and fishing may be two of the state’s most prominent hobbies, but the “Sportsman’s Paradise” has another common characteristic: laziness.Louisiana was ranked the laziest state in the country, according to a study released Monday based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Laziness, as the study indicates it, refers to measures of increased quantities of leisure time spend engaging in non-physical activities. The study reflects five years of data that measured the day-to-day activities of different demographics ages 15 and older.According to BLS data, Louisiana residents sleep more, watch more television, socialize more and work less than the average U.S. population.
Louisiana is part of the trio of southern states that sit atop the list of laziness. Mississippi and Arkansas were ranked second and third, respectively. North Dakota clocked in as the most active state.The BLS data is not the first to recently cite Louisiana as lazy.Louisiana’s Report Card on Physical Activity and Health for Children and Youth, released in 2009 by Pennington Biomedical Research Center, gave the state a “D” as its overall grade.”Only 25 [percent] of high school students met the recommendations for physical activities,” according to Pennington’s report.The report also associates high obesity levels with children, saying one-third of adolescents in Louisiana are overweight and obese. The state earned an “F” as its grade for obesity.Katherine Hill, assistant chair of undergraduate programs in the Kinesiology Department and a member of the committee that compiled Pennington’s report card, said a main factor that contributes to a region’s lack of physical activity deals with infrastructure.Hill said cities with few parks, sidewalks that are not pedestrian friendly and poor lighting can contribute to what constitutes “laziness.””We’ve been very fortunate in the last two legislative session to get bills passed that address smoking issues and physical education issues within schools,” Hill said. “For things to change, it’s got to come from city planners and not just people at Pennington.”Hill said Louisiana’s abounding food culture is not the only factor contributing to laziness and obesity, but it does play a strong role throughout the entire South.”The southern belt of the United States from Texas all the way across through Florida and Georgia are always the ones with the highest obesity and type 2 diabetes,” she said. “Very seldom do you see Asian people who are overweight, and they eat rice every day. But what they don’t do is put gravy on it.”Julie Hupperich, associate director of the Student Health Center and registered dietician, said poverty levels also factor into community wellness.”There is a significant portion of the population that is impoverished,” Hupperich said. “This impacts education and whether healthy foods and organized sports can be accessible to them.”
 Hupperich said while statistics may seem discouraging, Louisiana has made strides toward improving residents’ health.”On one level it’s discouraging because here we are at the top of the bad list,” she said. “Even though the progress has not been tremendous, just the fact that we’re organizing as a community and as a state is encouraging.”–
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