Obesity may be a threat to national security

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) — Mission: Readiness, a nonprofit national security organization, released a report on July 7 which stated that 73% of Kentuckians between ages 18 and 24 were ineligible to serve with the military.

According to the report, the single largest disqualifier was obesity.
The report also details that children in their critical growth period, between ages 11 and 17, are not receiving enough calcium and Vitamin D. More than two-thirds of adolescents nationwide and 78% in Kentucky do not get the recommended daily hour of exercise, the report added.
 
Susan Zepeda, President and CEO of Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky said “The health and wellbeing of our next generation is at stake. We must remove the barriers to good health that stand in the way of KY kids being ready to learn in school and prepared for any career they choose. Local action can make the healthy choice the easy choice – increasing access to fresh produce, building safe places for active play, and incorporating physical activity into the school day.”

Read the report here:  Retreat is not an option