Obesity and National Defense: Will America Be Too Heavy to Fight?. (1st April 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gagnon, Matthew; Stephens, Mark B.
• Is Part Of: Military medicine. Volume 180(2015)Supplement 4
• Page Start: 464
• Page End: 467
• Publication Date: 2015-04-01
• Subjects: Surgery, Military -- Societies, etc; Medicine, Military -- Societies, etc; Medicine, Military -- Periodicals; Surgery, Military -- Periodicals; Medicine, Military; Surgery, Military; Military Medicine -- Periodicals; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 616.98023
• DOI: 10.7205/MILMED-D-14-00328
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0026-4075

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Obesity has been a topic of intense interest in the United States for several years. Rising rates of obesity have led some to question whether or not America will be able to readily sustain a fit fighting force into the future. This study seeks to describe at what point, projecting current trends in obesity and military accession, there would no longer be a sufficient number of qualified applicants to support an effective military fighting force. By analyzing trends in national obesity data and military accession records, the authors were unable to determine a realistic time projection of a year in which the United States would no longer be able to find enough qualified military applicants as a result of increasing obesity rates.