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Top Mil Doctor Concerned About Obesity As Number Of Fat Troops DOUBLES

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Jonah Bennett Contributor
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The Pentagon’s top military doctor expressed concern Thursday about the steadily growing number of obese troops, especially since the number of fat troops has doubled over the past five years.

“I am concerned,” said Navy Vice Adm. Raquel Bono, director of the Defense Health Agency, according to Military Times. “Anything that attenuates or poses a challenge to our readiness or our health is something that I’m interested in.”

But Bono immediately said after that statement there’s no reason to think the growing trend of obesity in the military is impacting readiness.

Not all Pentagon officials are as cavalier about the problem of obesity. These officials are concerned that obese servicemembers in combat won’t be able to move as fast, and if they’re wounded, they’ll be a burden on those who have to pull them out of harm’s way.

The Pentagon is working on changing body fat measurement standards, as well as allowable levels of body fat.

Approximately 7.8 percent of the force is overweight, which is defined as a body mass index greater than 25. This figure has nearly doubled over the last five years. Since 2001, this figure has quadrupled.

In 2001, only 1.6 percent of the force was overweight.

The Pentagon recently released data on body mass index rates across the military.

It turns out that the Army is the fattest service, followed by the Air Force, the Navy and then finally the Marine Corps. More than 10 percent of Army servicemembers meet the definition of overweight. Just five years ago, that figure was only 6.4 percent. In the Air Force, 9 percent are overweight, which is up from 4.3 percent in 2011.

But in contrast, the civilian population is quite a bit fatter. Among American adults, 70 percent have a body mass index of 25, placing them in the category of obese.

In the meantime, Pentagon officials are looking into why it is that their troops are getting so far.

Bono also noted that it can be difficult to get troops down to appropriate size, and often even the best education efforts completely fail.

“People still persist in certain behaviors,” she said.

“I don’t know what the right answer is, but I agree it’s a challenge and I don’t necessarily have a forcing function. I’m interested in finding out what might work in other areas,” she added.

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Tags : pentagon
Jonah Bennett