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Saturday, October 21st, 2023

Military obesity rates soar, compounding recruitment challenges

Author:     Mark Satter
Source:     Roll Call
Publication Date:     October 18, 2023 | 5:28pm
 Link: Military obesity rates soar, compounding recruitment challenges
Stephan:  

You don’t see or hear stories like this in big corporate media but in fact, trends like this have an enormous impact on major parts of our culture, in this case, the military. The U.S. adult obesity rate stands at 42.4 percent and has increased by 26 percent since 2008. Think about this, nearly half of Americans aren’t just overweight they are obese. Overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher. Obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 or higher. This weight issue also plays a big role in the fact that Americans live more than five years less than people living in other developed nations.

Obese soldier Credit: Tactical Training & Conditioning

Obesity rates among active-duty servicemembers doubled in the past decade, and antiquated policies and incomplete data have complicated efforts to combat the trend, according to a new report from the American Security Project. 

Military obesity rates across the active duty jumped from 10.4 percent in 2012 to 21.6 percent in 2022, according to the study, the findings of which were released on Oct. 12. This mirrors a national trend that has shrunk the military’s recruitment pool and led to billions of dollars in associated health care costs. 

Today, 68 percent of active-duty servicemembers are either overweight or obese, and eating disorders in the military increased by approximately 79 percent between 2017 and 2021, the report said. 

Although obesity in the U.S. and the military is not new, the seemingly rapid increase in the rate of overweight troops could renew concerns over military readiness, as obesity is a primary contributor to in-service injuries and medical discharges, the report said. 

Furthermore, the report found that the military’s inconsistent use of […]

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