Colorado has one of the most active populations in the country and Kentucky has one of the least active, according to a new government study that looked a people’s physical activity county by county.

This is the third in a series of county-focused reports by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first two looked at diabetes and obesity rates, says Ann Albright, director of the CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation.

‘When you actually take all three maps together, it really does give you this clear picture that the Southern and Appalachian areas on all three – obesity, diabetes and inactivity – are very closely tied to each other. It lets you step back and gives the big picture,’ Albright says.

The study reflects data collected from all 3,141 U.S. counties from adults who reported their physical activity levels.

Among the states where at least 70% of counties fell into the group with the least physical activity were Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

States with at least 70% of counties in the group getting the most were California, Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.

Four of the five least-active counties in the USA are in Kentucky, report the researchers, and four […]