When people hear about the First Lady's Let's Move initiative, the first thing they think of may not be the impact on our military -- but as it turns out it is extremely relevant. Yesterday First Lady Michelle Obama traveled to Fort Jackson, a U.S. Army Training Center in South Carolina, to be briefed by Army leadership on the consequences of childhood obesity, poor childhood nutrition and the lack of physical exercise on military readiness, and tour the post’s new “Soldier Athlete" initiative.
First Lady Michelle Obama is briefed by base leadership at Fort Jackson Drill Sergeant School in Fort Jackson, S.C.,
During the briefing, we heard about the challenges the Army faces because of the childhood obesity epidemic. Of the 120,000 Army recruits they get every year, 40% are overweight or obese. The Army gave a presentation that included some alarming data such as the increasing rates of stress injuries and rising dental care costs. In the year 2000, 42% of their recruits needed dental care before they could be deployed. In 2009, this number jumped to 62%.
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