Subscribe to the RSS feed.Latest National Security Threat: Obesity
By:
CHP | Posted on: May 3rd, 2010
| 
2 comments
| Share: 
Categories:
Disparities •
Economic Issues •
Policies and Laws •
Nutrition
Although we’ve been reporting on this issue for a long time, today retired U.S. Army Gen. John M. Shalikashvili and retired U.S. Army Gen. Hugh Shelton (both former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) have now declared obesity in the U.S. “the latest national security threat.”
In a Washington Post Op-Ed, the retired generals report the following:
- Being overweight or obese is now the leading medical reason recruits are rejected for military service.
- Approximately 27 percent of young Americans are too overweight to serve in the military.
- From 1998 to 2008, the number of states reporting 40 percent or more youth overweight or obesity rate rose from one to 39.
- Since 1995, the proportion of those failing their physical exams because of weight issues increased 70 percent.
The authors have now “joined more than 130 other retired generals, admirals and senior military leaders in calling on Congress to pass new child nutrition legislation.”
Among their recommendations for such new legislation:
- Get junk food and high-calorie beverages out of schools.
- Add $1 billion per year for 10 years to child nutrition programs.
- Develop research-based strategies, implemented through our schools, to help parents and children adopt healthier lifelong eating and exercise habits.
The entire piece can be found here.
2 Comments:
Next entry: 
Previous entry: 
Back to main
Is it really going to take having this seen as a national security issue to open eyes?
Within our current agricultural, food and distribution systems it will be extremely difficult to implement change that truly leads to different outcomes.
As long as the use of government approved chemicals, bio-accumlative and endocrine disruptive toxins, etc continues, then talking about healthier lifestyles is just that - talk. As long as the effects of genetically modified crops and foods aren’t studied for long-term effects, the words “healthier lifestyles” are just an empty conglomeration of letters.
Half answers are just as bad, long term, as no answers at all!