US military's growing obesity problem becoming national security threat: Study

The United States military is experiencing a growing issue of obesity with the ranks of its various branches, a new Pentagon study has found, warning that the issue is putting America’s national security at risk.

The study published in the Pentagon’s Medical Surveillance Monthly Report said the overall obesity rate among the military personnel has steadily increased over the past five years, reaching 17.8 percent in 2018. The figure stood at 15.8 in 2014.

According to the study, the obesity rates were significantly higher among US servicemen than women.

The report’s authors argued that besides combat readiness issues, including higher medical costs for overweight personnel.

“Obesity negatively impacts physical performance and military readiness and is associated with long-term health problems such as hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, and risk for all-cause mortality,” the study said.

“Studies also suggest that healthcare utilization is higher among obese service members than their normal-weight counterparts,” it added.

The survey’s data were based on the guidelines provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which define obese service members as those with a body mass index above 30.

Navy personnel fattest among US forces

The study found that US Navy was the most overweight branch of the military with a whopping 22 percent of its overall personnel suffering from obesity.

The Air Force was next with 18.1 percent, followed closely by the Army at 17.4 percent.

The Marine Corps, meanwhile, was affected the least as only 8.3 percent of its personnel suffered from obesity.

The study further showed that men ages 35 to 44 had an obesity rate of 29.4 percent while those over the age of 45 were close behind at a rate of 28.4 percent, showing that the issue was somewhat more common among higher age groups.

The number for female soldiers in the same age groups stood at 21.3 percent and 18.5 percent respectively.

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A separate report from Rand, a Washington-based think-tank, found in 2018 that 66 percent of service members from approximately 18,000 participants selected randomly from all US military branches were either overweight or obese.

The obesity issue runs deep in the American society, as another study showed last year that only 29 percent of young Americans met the criteria (high school diploma, no criminal record and no chronic medical issues) to join the military while from that chunk, less than 20 percent are likely to meet fitness standards.

The report comes amid rising concerns among US military commanders regarding the readiness levels of the troops in various branches.

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