Follow up to previous postings on childhood and adolescent obesity, this new report: Too Fat to Fight – Retired Military Leaders Want Junk Food Out of Americas Schools. A report by Mission: Readiness, Military Leaders for Kids, April 2010.
“Mission: Readiness, an organization of retired senior military leaders, is warning Congress that at least nine million 17- to 24-year-olds in the United States are too fat to serve in the military. That is 27 percent of all young adults. Obesity rates among children and young adults have increased so dramatically that they threaten not only the overall health of America but also the future strength of our military. The group is calling on Congress to take immediate steps to remove junk food and any remaining high-calorie beverages from our schools, noting that these products are major contributors to childhood obesity. The report cites a new analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing an alarming increase in obesity rates among young adults across the country. During the past decade, the number of states with 40 percent of young adults considered by the CDC to be overweight or obese has risen from one state to 39. In three states Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi more than half of young adults are overweight.”
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