10,000 Army Soldiers Slipped Into Obesity During Pandemic

According to new research, at least 10,000 active duty soldiers who were under stress and locked down during the pandemic became obese.

Research

The study examined the weight trends of servicemen between February 2019 to June 2021.

Staff Sergeant of the U.S. Army said, "I noticed it." Daniel Murillo is 5 feet, 5 inches and weighs 192 pounds. "The uniform was more snug."

Murillo, 27, was a victim of heightened stress, early pandemic lockdowns and endless hours spent on his laptop.

Grab a bag of cookies and chips

In the barracks of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The gyms were closed and organized exercise was not allowed. Murillo was also lacking motivation to workout on his own. -AP

According to the US Navy and Marines, there were also increases in their numbers.

Associated Press

.

Nearly 200,000 Army personnel were analyzed.

Nearly 27% of those who were healthy prior to the pandemic have become ill.

overweight

.

Almost 16% of people who were overweight before became obese. Before the pandemic began, approximately 18% of soldiers had been overweight.

By 2021 it will be 23%

.

The research was led by Tracey Koehlmoos of the Center for Health Services Research, at the Uniformed Services University, Bethesda Maryland.

According to

federal research

The military loses more than 650,000 days of work each year due to fat people, and the cost for healthcare related to obesity is over $1.5 billion per year. This includes current and former servicemen and women, as well as their families.

Marine Corps Brigadier-General Stephen Cheney co-authored the report. He said that military leadership has been warning about obesity in the US Military for more than a decade. However, the pandemic seems to have worsened the issue.

A recent report

On the problem

AP

reports.

He said that "the numbers have not improved" during a

November Webinar

The American Security Project organized the event. They are only getting worse.

Last fiscal year

The Army has failed to meet its recruitment goal for the very first time.

By a margin 15,000 recruits or 25% of requirement

largely

Because 75% of the 17-24 year olds don't qualify due to various reasons. The biggest disqualifier is being overweight. This affects over 10% of recruits.

It is devastating. Cheney stated that we have a serious national security issue.

It can be difficult for servicemen to meet fitness standards due to their extra weight.

Which varies depending on which branch of the military. If soldiers fail the Army Combat Fitness Test (a newly updated measure of abilities), it can result in probation, or even the end of their military career.

Koehlmoos' team and she analyzed the medical records of all active duty Army Soldiers in the Military Health System Data Repository. This is a comprehensive archive.

The study looked at two time periods: the period before the pandemic (February 2019 to January 2020) and the crisis period (September 2020 to June 2021).

The study excluded soldiers who did not have complete records for both periods, and women who were pregnant during or before the study. -AP

Murillo

It has been possible to reverse weight gain slowly

His BMI dropped from almost 32 to a little over 27, which is within the Defense Department standard.

One possible solution

Dr. Amy Rothberg is an endocrinologist who runs a weight loss program at the University of Michigan. She has noted a new class of anti-obesity medications, such as Wegovy (semaglutide). The DoD health plan, TRICARE covers these drugs (and has funded but 'didn’t influence' the report).