Overweight US citizens become a threat to the country's security

Nearly a third of young US citizens are now too complete for military service, according to a report in an organization uniting retired generals and admirals in Washington.

Фото: Depositphotos

Widespread obesity greatly complicates the recruitment of new military personnel and threatens combat capability, the report warns. Pentagon advisers are sounding the alarm because of a new threat to US national security, writes Inopressa with reference to Stern.

“Obesity has long threatened the health of our nation. Due to the spreading epidemic, it now threatens our security,” the correspondent reports the contents of the report.

“Last month, the US military announced that it would largely miss its target of 13 recruits this year for the first time in 76,5 years.

According to them, 71% of American citizens aged 17 to 24 do not meet the requirements for enlistment in the armed forces. Lack of education and weight problems were cited as one of the reasons, along with drugs,” the article says.

“Meanwhile, the Pentagon is trying to counter this trend through various programs that include special physical fitness tests for future recruits, as well as luxury fitness centers and nutrition counseling at many military installations. According to the study's authors, this is not enough. It is much more important to inform parents and children about how important proper nutrition and physical activity are for life,” Stern reports.

The statistics are depressing: in seven states of the USA more than 35% of adult residents suffer from obesity, in other states it is also observed rapid increase in obesity levels, turning the problem into a real epidemic.

Photo: depositphotos

According to the report The State of Obesity 2018, no state has demonstrated a significant statistical improvement in obesity rates compared to the previous year.

Seven states: Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and West Virginia - have adult obesity levels higher than 35%. West Virginia has the highest rate - more than 38%. Only Hawaii and Colorado and DC have obesity rates below 25%. In 22 states, obesity ranges from 30 to 35 percent, while in 19 other states, this figure ranges from 25 to 30 percent.

Expenses for Americans due to obesity are estimated to be 149 billions of dollars annually (these are direct health care costs), moreover, Americans lose 66 billions of dollars annually due to reduced economic productivity due to obesity.

The study also showed that the highest levels of obesity are observed in African-American and Latin American communities, as well as in low-income regions and rural areas, because they do not have access to healthy diets.

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