Almost seven out of every 10 U.S. troops are either overweight or obese, according to a new report, which also warns the growing trend could compromise military readiness and undermine national security.
Obesity rates among service members surged during COVID and recruiters are also confronted by a growing number of would-be soldiers who are simply too large and too weak.
Nearly 74% of the soldiers whose data was examined in a study were found to have an unhealthy BMI during a nine-month stretch, a jump from about 68% in the pre-pandemic period. Among those, over 23% were classified as obese during the pandemic.