A weighty concern
Study: Obesity rates in potential recruits rising
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : January 22, 2007
The percentage of overweight youth who intend to enter the service has climbed steadily over the past decade, according to a report released in January by Army Medical Surveillance Activity.
In a 1996-2005 survey of 18-year-olds at Military Entrance Processing Stations, height and weight measurements showed the percentage of overweight men had increased from 29 to 34 percent, and the percentage of overweight women from 19 to 25 percent.
During the same period, national obesity rates for young adults ages 18 through 29 increased from 10 percent to 18 percent, according to the report.
The increased number of overweight teens is a military, as well as general public health, concern, the report states.
The percentage of overweight potential recruits increased each year of the survey.
The military weight standard is important to the services accessions commands because almost 80 percent of recruits who dont meet the height-weight standards fall out before they finish their first term, according to a study by the Institute of Medicine.
More potential recruits with weight issues make an already-challenging recruiting environment tougher. The Army is in the midst of a campaign to add tens of thousands of soldiers to its ranks but has been hindered by an unpopular war and parents and other authority figures who oppose military service.
The Army Medical Surveillance Activity study included all 18-year-olds who were measured for height and weight at Military Entrance Processing Stations for all branches of the military. Eighty percent of the 554,587 potential recruits measured were men.
Their heights and weights were used to calculate body mass index. A BMI of 25 or higher is considered overweight, and a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.
Obese potential recruits doubled from 3 percent to 6 percent the report states.
One-third of those overweight recruits came from Texas, California, Florida or Ohio, and about 60 percent of overweight recruits came from the Midwest or Northeast, according to the survey.
BMIs were slightly higher among 18-year-old males and females who applied for military service compared to their counterparts in the general population of the United States, the report states.
The National Research Council found that if the military had as an enlistment standard a BMI of 25, it could disqualify as much as 40 percent of young women of all ages, rather than the 18-year-olds in this study and 25 percent of young men.
The services dont use BMI measurements but instead rely primarily on height-weight charts. If a service member doesnt meet height-weight requirements, tape tests are used to calculate body fat and determine whether the individual is over weight standards
Study: Obesity rates in potential recruits rising
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : January 22, 2007
The percentage of overweight youth who intend to enter the service has climbed steadily over the past decade, according to a report released in January by Army Medical Surveillance Activity.
In a 1996-2005 survey of 18-year-olds at Military Entrance Processing Stations, height and weight measurements showed the percentage of overweight men had increased from 29 to 34 percent, and the percentage of overweight women from 19 to 25 percent.
During the same period, national obesity rates for young adults ages 18 through 29 increased from 10 percent to 18 percent, according to the report.
The increased number of overweight teens is a military, as well as general public health, concern, the report states.
The percentage of overweight potential recruits increased each year of the survey.
The military weight standard is important to the services accessions commands because almost 80 percent of recruits who dont meet the height-weight standards fall out before they finish their first term, according to a study by the Institute of Medicine.
More potential recruits with weight issues make an already-challenging recruiting environment tougher. The Army is in the midst of a campaign to add tens of thousands of soldiers to its ranks but has been hindered by an unpopular war and parents and other authority figures who oppose military service.
The Army Medical Surveillance Activity study included all 18-year-olds who were measured for height and weight at Military Entrance Processing Stations for all branches of the military. Eighty percent of the 554,587 potential recruits measured were men.
Their heights and weights were used to calculate body mass index. A BMI of 25 or higher is considered overweight, and a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.
Obese potential recruits doubled from 3 percent to 6 percent the report states.
One-third of those overweight recruits came from Texas, California, Florida or Ohio, and about 60 percent of overweight recruits came from the Midwest or Northeast, according to the survey.
BMIs were slightly higher among 18-year-old males and females who applied for military service compared to their counterparts in the general population of the United States, the report states.
The National Research Council found that if the military had as an enlistment standard a BMI of 25, it could disqualify as much as 40 percent of young women of all ages, rather than the 18-year-olds in this study and 25 percent of young men.
The services dont use BMI measurements but instead rely primarily on height-weight charts. If a service member doesnt meet height-weight requirements, tape tests are used to calculate body fat and determine whether the individual is over weight standards
