Dr. Douglass--shrinking pool for the military
Draining from a shrinking pool
Back in the fall (Daily Dose, 9/26/2005), I wrote to you about how weight problems were plaguing the nation's military - so much so that thousands every year are routinely dismissed because of excess heft. This hasn't been the case until relatively recently.
In that article, I lamented the likelihood that the standards for soldiering would change to accommodate lard-butted military wannabes long before the day when we'd see a thinner, healthier pool of potential recruits in America. And it looks like this may happen sooner, rather than later. Here's what I mean...
According to a March 12 Associated Press article, recent DoD studies (that's Department of Defense, to non-military types) indicate that as much as 75% of this country's prime recruiting demographic - the 17-24 age bracket - would likely be rejected for military service, should they apply.
Now, there are many reasons a recruit could be rejected, not just fatness. Those who are popping Ritalin for ADD don't make the cut for combat (heck, that's several million disqualified right there), those with conspicuous tattoos don't get to serve, and those who are too fat simply can't...
Some sources cited in the article are highly skeptical of this DOD estimate. They claim it's the feds trying to cover up declining recruitment by blaming the pool of possible recruits. The AP piece claims that approximately 32 million Americans fall between ages 17 and 24. So let's do the math a bit, shall we?
As near as I could pinpoint, the modern rate for teenage obesity is over 15% - that's for true teenagers (kids 13-18). That rate only goes up with age, and since more than 25% of the adult U.S. population is clinically obese (more than 65% are either overweight or obese), I think it's very safe to say that a full 20% of the 17-24 demographic is obese, and therefore ineligible.
But hold the phone. The military's guidelines for BMI (a person's weight/height ratio) in recruit are quite a bit more stringent than mainstream medicine's clinical obesity thresh-hold. One can't be more than a small amount overweight and expect to carry a heavy pack, rifle, and rations on 10-mile forced marches. So let's guesstimate that 40% of the 17-24 year olds in the U.S. couldn't join the military even if they wanted to, for weight reasons alone...
Is it really such a stretch to think that another 35% of that demographic doesn't qualify for various other reasons? Keep reading...
Don't forget, millions of teenagers take ADHD drugs - and these kids are 4 times as likely to be male as female. Coincidentally, male recruits outnumber females by a 4 to 1 ratio as well.
That means if even half the 10 million+ prescriptions written for Ritalin and other ADHD meds are being taken by 17-24 year olds (a prime demographic for these drugs), that translates into 5 million more of these young adults being unfit for service, 4 million of them males...
5 million is about 16% of 32 million. So already we're up to 56% ineligible, right?
Add in those with criminal records, those with visible tattoos, those with flat feet or crooked spines or bad eyes or disabilities or with a low IQ or with mental illness and it's easy to see how 75% of our young people couldn't serve even if they wanted to. The DoD number is probably low, in my opinion. Sooner or later, standards WILL change to accommodate heftier recruits that are ill-suited to the rigors of soldiery.
What's all this add up to?
A country that couldn't defend itself or its interests if it HAD TO in another decade or so. And all because of drive-thru junk, the Food Pyramid, and a made-up disease treated with very real mind-altering drugs...
Encouraging picture, isn't it?
Exposing our soon-to-be flabby frontlines,
William Campbell Douglass II, MD
Back in the fall (Daily Dose, 9/26/2005), I wrote to you about how weight problems were plaguing the nation's military - so much so that thousands every year are routinely dismissed because of excess heft. This hasn't been the case until relatively recently.
In that article, I lamented the likelihood that the standards for soldiering would change to accommodate lard-butted military wannabes long before the day when we'd see a thinner, healthier pool of potential recruits in America. And it looks like this may happen sooner, rather than later. Here's what I mean...
According to a March 12 Associated Press article, recent DoD studies (that's Department of Defense, to non-military types) indicate that as much as 75% of this country's prime recruiting demographic - the 17-24 age bracket - would likely be rejected for military service, should they apply.
Now, there are many reasons a recruit could be rejected, not just fatness. Those who are popping Ritalin for ADD don't make the cut for combat (heck, that's several million disqualified right there), those with conspicuous tattoos don't get to serve, and those who are too fat simply can't...
Some sources cited in the article are highly skeptical of this DOD estimate. They claim it's the feds trying to cover up declining recruitment by blaming the pool of possible recruits. The AP piece claims that approximately 32 million Americans fall between ages 17 and 24. So let's do the math a bit, shall we?
As near as I could pinpoint, the modern rate for teenage obesity is over 15% - that's for true teenagers (kids 13-18). That rate only goes up with age, and since more than 25% of the adult U.S. population is clinically obese (more than 65% are either overweight or obese), I think it's very safe to say that a full 20% of the 17-24 demographic is obese, and therefore ineligible.
But hold the phone. The military's guidelines for BMI (a person's weight/height ratio) in recruit are quite a bit more stringent than mainstream medicine's clinical obesity thresh-hold. One can't be more than a small amount overweight and expect to carry a heavy pack, rifle, and rations on 10-mile forced marches. So let's guesstimate that 40% of the 17-24 year olds in the U.S. couldn't join the military even if they wanted to, for weight reasons alone...
Is it really such a stretch to think that another 35% of that demographic doesn't qualify for various other reasons? Keep reading...
Don't forget, millions of teenagers take ADHD drugs - and these kids are 4 times as likely to be male as female. Coincidentally, male recruits outnumber females by a 4 to 1 ratio as well.
That means if even half the 10 million+ prescriptions written for Ritalin and other ADHD meds are being taken by 17-24 year olds (a prime demographic for these drugs), that translates into 5 million more of these young adults being unfit for service, 4 million of them males...
5 million is about 16% of 32 million. So already we're up to 56% ineligible, right?
Add in those with criminal records, those with visible tattoos, those with flat feet or crooked spines or bad eyes or disabilities or with a low IQ or with mental illness and it's easy to see how 75% of our young people couldn't serve even if they wanted to. The DoD number is probably low, in my opinion. Sooner or later, standards WILL change to accommodate heftier recruits that are ill-suited to the rigors of soldiery.
What's all this add up to?
A country that couldn't defend itself or its interests if it HAD TO in another decade or so. And all because of drive-thru junk, the Food Pyramid, and a made-up disease treated with very real mind-altering drugs...
Encouraging picture, isn't it?
Exposing our soon-to-be flabby frontlines,
William Campbell Douglass II, MD
posted by Mrs.Cranky Yankee @ 11:09 AM
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