is the French army “Extremely Vigilant” On obesity, a problem for which she “unlikely” to escape, Army Surgeon General Jack Margery said Thursday during a visit to Brest.
“The US military will deal with this problem. And we are also very vigilant.”Commenting on press articles on the issue, the Central Director of Armed Health Services (SSA) declared.
“Low chance” of avoiding these problems.
“It’s a public health reality, there’s less chance and less risk that we’ll survive these problems.”He added during a meeting with the press at Clermont-Tonnere Army Training Hospital. “Despite the care taken to plan prevention against junk food, cigarettes and a sedentary lifestyle, the French army is the image of French society. The army is the image of the society from which they come”.
Of the population of age to serve in the US military (17-42 years), only one in three Americans will be fit to fight given their body mass index (BMI) and physical activity, according to a study published in September 2022 by the American Journal of Preventive medicine. An incident described as “too fat to fight,” according to the weekly the point.
“Too Fat to Fight”
“If going to war requires certain agility, running fast enough and resisting -15°C temperatures in the trenches in Ukraine, it’s definitely better to be in good health”remarked Mr. Margery.
“People who might be a little overweight, might not be able to run, get them to play sports (…) and maintain a healthy lifestyle, a level of fitness, which means as long as they stay healthy, it’s our depends on. Possible”he added.
In France, the prevalence of obesity in the armed forces was estimated at 9.6% in 2017, with 36.1% of personnel overweight, according to a summary of theses published on the website of the Ministry of the Armed Forces. It was in the National Gendarmerie that BMI was highest, with half of the personnel overweight (50.1%).
