Friday, November 6, 2009

Unfit youths pose national security crisis in an emergency

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Credit the genius of American marketing and advertising for a large role in what has become a national scandal, perhaps even a national crisis in the event of a true security catastrophe.

Obesity among U.S. youths, that's what—a generation of young people sold on junk food, taught the addictive joys of Internet social networking, video games and texting while ignoring adequate exercise to work off excess caloric pounds that accumulate as they adopt sedentary ways.

With an eye ever on manpower needs for peacetime as well as the possibility of a new war, the Pentagon reports that 35 percent of the 31 million young people in the prime 17-24 age group are medically and physically unfit to serve in the military, with obesity the leading cause.

The larger picture is even bleaker.

On top of the 35 percent medically/physically unqualified, the Pentagon reports that another 38 percent would be rejected by the military for illegal drug use (18 percent), mentally defective (9 percent), too many dependants under 18 (6 percent) and criminal records (5 percent).

Together that's nearly 75 percent of the age group the military would call on for manpower in an emergency draft for the armed services.

Imagine the national outcry if 75 percent of other national resources—fire-fighting and law-enforcement equipment, hospitals, combat aircraft—suddenly were found to be mechanically unfit to deal with a national emergency.

Clearly, of all the problems cited by the Pentagon, obesity can and should be attacked quickly and vigorously.

Public schools are an obvious source of help, not to mention parents who should monitor healthful eating and exercise.

For example, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports that 68 percent of high school students don't eat the recommended two daily servings of fruit and 87 percent don't eat three vegetable servings.

Only 21 percent of the nation's public schools offer fruit during the school day, and only 21 states have farm-to-school food policies to provide schools with nutritious fresh produce.

The Centers for Disease Control calculates that obesity costs the nation $147 billion a year.

Adult and adolescent obesity requires $1,429 per year in more spending for individual care than spent on a normal-weight patient, the CDC estimates.

Obesity also carries with it a frightful basket of spin-off diseases that can last a lifetime—diabetes, cancer, heart attacks and other vascular illnesses.

The nation must turn its attention to turning back obesity or leave itself at serious risk. The solution is cheap and nonpartisan—daily exercise and proper nutrition.