According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, about 1 in 3 American adults are considered obese while 1 in 6 children and teens are obese.
No doubt about it, the US is plagued by obesity but has the epidemic reached the military? A stunning new study found that 70% of US youths that serve the military are not fit for service due to obesity.
The same study found that West Virginia has the most number of residents that are obese while Colorado ranked as second with a 22% obesity rate.
Obesity epidemic continues to ravage American youth: Nearly three-quarters aren’t eligible for military service
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(Natural News) If you wanted to know just how bad America’s obesity epidemic has gotten, look no further than a just-released report that found 70 percent of American youth do not qualify for military service, mostly because they are too fat to fight.
As reported by the Washington Examiner, the report notes that our obesity epidemic has reached new highs, costing Americans dearly — in health and in dollars.
The report, “14th Annual State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America,” notes that while obesity rates and the growth of obesity are both leveling off, the costs are not. The nation spends about $150 billion a year in direct costs, while the economy loses billions more per year in diminished worker productivity.
The report also discusses how America’s obesity epidemic is harming national security. Per the Washington Examiner:
It is also costly to the military, said the report. Nearly one-quarter of military recruits are rejected because they are obese and it costs the Pentagon $1 billion a year in added health care costs for obese troops and their families.
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