We’re a Bunch of Fat Slobs
November 4, 2009 at 6:33 AM Leave a comment
A whole bunch of young people in the U.S. — age 17 to 24 — are too fat and out of shape to serve in the military:
According to the latest Pentagon figures, a full 35 percent, or more than one-third, of the roughly 31.2 million Americans aged 17 to 24 are unqualified for military service because of physical and medical issues. And, said Curt Gilroy, the Pentagon’s director of accessions, “the major component of this is obesity. We have an obesity crisis in the country. There’s no question about it.”
[...]
In 1987, according to the CDC, a mere 6 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds, or about 1 out of 20, were obese. In 2008, 22 years later, 23 percent of that age group — almost 1 out of 4 — was considered to be obese.
That last sentence there is just stunning.
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