Youth

One out of every four young adults in America are obese. This statistic has tripled in the past 10 years, giving cause to be concerned on many levels. A group of retired U.S. military officers called Mission: Readiness is concerned because to them the increased obesity rates among American youth poses a potential National Security issue. More than a quarter of young adults are unable to meet the military’s physical requirements with weight problems as the number one medical reason why potential young recruits are rejected. America’s youth are simply “too fat to fight”, as noted by retired Navy Admiral James Barnett, Jr., who is part of Mission: Readiness.

Since 40% of a child’s caloric intake is consumed at school, Mission: Readiness sees lunchtime as the first logical line of defense in preventing teenage weight problems. Therefore, the group is calling for tougher regulations on school lunch programs as a way to cut children’s daily calories, while also boosting nutrition. Ironically, the military called on the government to address childhood malnourishment in 1945, which spurred the launch of the National School Lunch Act. This time around, the approach includes eliminating junk food and high-calorie beverages, while also developing initiatives to educate children and their parents on lifestyle changes.

An improvement in childhood nutrition will also help to reduce diet related healthcare costs, and thus benefiting families in a hurting economy. Of course, nutrition alone will not reverse the obesity epidemic that plagues the American “couch potato” youth. Increasing the activity levels of youth through sports and fitness will also contribute to their reaching a healthy weight. The Army has even put forth a new effort to better accommodate the training needs of enlistees by recently updating its boot camp fitness program.

Vol 30 Issue 3 Page 14