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Obesity by state:

# of fast food restaurants

and

% of residents that have gym memberships

By Nick MacMillan

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My hypothesis is that the amount of fast food restaurants in a state will correlate more highly with obesity than the amount of gym memberships.

HYPOTHESIS

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fast food restaurants per 100,000 residents by state and % with gym memberships

State

FF restaurants

% that have GM

Alabama

10.1

10.20%

Arizona

7.4

17.50%

Arkansas

8.6

18.10%

California

6.1

20.80%

Colorado

7.6

21%

Connecticut

5.8

18.50%

D.C.

9.9

Delaware

8.1

Florida

8.8

17.40%

Georgia

8.2

15.20%

Hawaii

6.1

Idaho

6.9

Illinois

9.7

19.8

Indiana

10.7

14.60%

Iowa

8.9

14.80%

Kansas

11.6

16.50%

Kentucky

8.5

13%

Ohio

9.9

17.60%

Louisiana

12.9

14.60%

Maine

7.6

Maryland

9

17.10%

Massachusetts

6.4

25.10%

Michigan

10.7

15.60%

Minnesota

8.5

20.30%

Mississippi

9

Missouri

11.4

14.30%

Montana

7.7

Nebraska

8.8

Nevada

7.7

10.70%

New Hampshire

8.6

New Jersey

5

New Mexico

7.3

New York

5.1

19.10%

North Carolina

8.4

17.20%

North Dakota

8.2

Oklahoma

8.1

Oregon

10.5

12.50%

Pennsylvania

7.6

13.60%

Rhode Island

5.8

South Carolina

9.4

18.60%

South Dakota

8.3

Tennessee

9.1

15%

Texas

8.5

17.60%

Utah

7.7

19.40%

Vermont

8.2

Virginia

10.8

18.50%

Washington

7.8

15.90%

West Virginia

8.4

Wisconsin

10.3

16.90%

Wyoming

10.7

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Gym memberships

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Fast food restaurants

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Observations

Information gathered from provided internet sources

-Gym memberships and obesity have a moderately strong negative correlation

-Number of fast food restaurants per 100,000 people and obesity have a moderately strong positive correlation.

-Both have similar correlations in the trends but the Fast food and Obesity appears to be slightly more correlated.

-States with a high fast food restaurant density, as well as ones with low gym attendance, tend to have high obesity rates.

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Conclusion

Both variables correlate moderately strong with obesity rates across the US, but the amount of fast food restaurants per 100,000 state residents has a slightly higher correlation at .357 whereas the gym membership correlation is .29

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Data Sources