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Cox News Service
WASHINGTON - A former U.S. surgeon general warned Friday
that America's obesity epidemic is a national security problem as the more than
9 million overweight and obese children in the country threaten to shrink the
pool of eligible servicemen and women in the future.
3 Nov 2007
Dr. Richard H. Carmona, who finished his term as surgeon general in 2006 and now leads the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent Obesity Alliance, said that obesity is no longer an individual problem but one that "undermines the strength of our nation." The rapidly growing population of overweight, obese and physically unfit children in the country is already starting to impact the military, Carmona said. He noted that obesity is one of the most common reasons servicemen cannot fully perform their duties. Carmona cited the increase of low-income, single-parent homes; the elimination of physical education from public schools; and the lack of access to gyms and nutritious food among the poor as the main causes of childhood obesity. Calling obesity "the terror within," Carmona said that prevention is critical to combating it. |