Obesity Increased in US Military during Pandemic

2023-04-10

00:00 / 00:00
复读宝 RABC v8.0beta 复读机按钮使用说明
播放/暂停
停止
播放时:倒退3秒/复读时:回退AB段
播放时:快进3秒/复读时:前进AB段
拖动:改变速度/点击:恢复正常速度1.0
拖动改变复读暂停时间
点击:复读最近5秒/拖动:改变复读次数
设置A点
设置B点
取消复读并清除AB点
播放一行
停止播放
后退一行
前进一行
复读一行
复读多行
变速复读一行
变速复读多行
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1
  • Early COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, long hours on his computer, and increased stress led U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Daniel Murillo to eat more.
  • 2
  • Then, places to work out were closed; organized exercise was out; and Murillo's desire to work out on his own was low.
  • 3
  • "The uniform was tighter," said Murillo after gaining over 13 kilograms during the pandemic.
  • 4
  • "I could notice it," he added.
  • 5
  • Murillo was not the only U.S. soldier to deal with extra weight.
  • 6
  • New research says that the extra weight problem greatly increased in the U.S. military during the pandemic.
  • 7
  • In the Army alone, almost 10,000 soldiers became heavily overweight, or obese, between February 2019 and June 2021.
  • 8
  • That is nearly 25 percent of the soldiers in the study.
  • 9
  • The Navy and the Marines also showed weight gains.
  • 10
  • "The Army and the other services need to focus on how to bring the forces back to fitness," said Tracey Perez Koehlmoos who led the research.
  • 11
  • She is the director of the Center for Health Services Research at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland.
  • 12
  • Overweight and obese troops are more likely to be injured and less likely to continue their physical work long term.
  • 13
  • Government research shows that the military loses more than 650,000 workdays yearly because of extra weight.
  • 14
  • And obesity-related health costs are more than $1.5 billion each year for current and former soldiers and their families.
  • 15
  • Military leaders have been warning about the impact of obesity on the U.S. military for more than ten years.
  • 16
  • The pandemic effects show the need for urgent action, said retired Marine Corps Brigadier General Stephen Cheney, who co-wrote a recent report on the problem.
  • 17
  • "The numbers have not gotten better," Cheney said in a November online conference held by the American Security Project, a nonprofit organization.
  • 18
  • "They are just getting worse and worse and worse."
  • 19
  • Last year, the U.S. Army did not meet its goal of signing up new soldiers for the first time.
  • 20
  • Being overweight disqualifies more than 10 percent of people ages 17 to 24 who could enter the military.
  • 21
  • Cheney said, "It is devastating."
  • 22
  • And he called it a "national security problem."
  • 23
  • Extra weight can make it difficult for soldiers to meet the military fitness requirements.
  • 24
  • In the Army, if soldiers cannot pass the Army Combat Fitness Test, it could end their military careers.
  • 25
  • The researchers looked at nearly 200,000 soldiers from two periods: before the pandemic, from February 2019 to January 2020, and during the crisis, from September 2020 to June 2021.
  • 26
  • They found that nearly 27 percent who were healthy before the pandemic became overweight.
  • 27
  • And nearly 16 percent of those who were previously overweight became obese.
  • 28
  • About 18 percent of the soldiers were obese before the pandemic. By 2021, it grew to 23 percent.
  • 29
  • The researchers used a calculation of weight and height called BMI, or body mass index.
  • 30
  • A person with a BMI of 18.5 to 25 is considered healthy, while a BMI of 25 to less than 30 is considered overweight.
  • 31
  • A BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.
  • 32
  • Some experts say the BMI measure is flawed.
  • 33
  • They say it does not consider muscle mass or other health conditions in its calculations.
  • 34
  • However, BMI remains a widely used tool.
  • 35
  • In Sergeant Murillo's case, his BMI during the pandemic reached nearly 32.
  • 36
  • He knew he needed help, so he started a strict exercise program through the Army's Holistic Health and Fitness, or H2F, program.
  • 37
  • "We do two runs a week, 6 and-a-half to 8 kilometers," Murillo said.
  • 38
  • "Some mornings I wanted to quit, but I hung in there."
  • 39
  • Now, his BMI is just over 27, which is within the Defense Department's standard.
  • 40
  • Putting on extra weight during the pandemic was not just a military problem.
  • 41
  • A study last year of American adults found that nearly half reported gaining weight after the first year of the COVID-19 emergency.
  • 42
  • Another study found a sharp rise in obesity among children.
  • 43
  • The gains came in a country where more than 40 percent of adults and nearly 20 percent of children are obese, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
  • 44
  • I'm Andrew Smith. And I'm Jill Robbins.
  • 1
  • Early COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, long hours on his computer, and increased stress led U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Daniel Murillo to eat more. Then, places to work out were closed; organized exercise was out; and Murillo's desire to work out on his own was low.
  • 2
  • "The uniform was tighter," said Murillo after gaining over 13 kilograms during the pandemic. "I could notice it," he added.
  • 3
  • Murillo was not the only U.S. soldier to deal with extra weight. New research says that the extra weight problem greatly increased in the U.S. military during the pandemic.
  • 4
  • In the Army alone, almost 10,000 soldiers became heavily overweight, or obese, between February 2019 and June 2021. That is nearly 25 percent of the soldiers in the study. The Navy and the Marines also showed weight gains.
  • 5
  • "The Army and the other services need to focus on how to bring the forces back to fitness," said Tracey Perez Koehlmoos who led the research. She is the director of the Center for Health Services Research at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland.
  • 6
  • "National security problem"
  • 7
  • Overweight and obese troops are more likely to be injured and less likely to continue their physical work long term. Government research shows that the military loses more than 650,000 workdays yearly because of extra weight. And obesity-related health costs are more than $1.5 billion each year for current and former soldiers and their families.
  • 8
  • Military leaders have been warning about the impact of obesity on the U.S. military for more than ten years. The pandemic effects show the need for urgent action, said retired Marine Corps Brigadier General Stephen Cheney, who co-wrote a recent report on the problem.
  • 9
  • "The numbers have not gotten better," Cheney said in a November online conference held by the American Security Project, a nonprofit organization. "They are just getting worse and worse and worse."
  • 10
  • Last year, the U.S. Army did not meet its goal of signing up new soldiers for the first time. Being overweight disqualifies more than 10 percent of people ages 17 to 24 who could enter the military.
  • 11
  • Cheney said, "It is devastating." And he called it a "national security problem."
  • 12
  • Extra weight can make it difficult for soldiers to meet the military fitness requirements. In the Army, if soldiers cannot pass the Army Combat Fitness Test, it could end their military careers.
  • 13
  • The research
  • 14
  • The researchers looked at nearly 200,000 soldiers from two periods: before the pandemic, from February 2019 to January 2020, and during the crisis, from September 2020 to June 2021.
  • 15
  • They found that nearly 27 percent who were healthy before the pandemic became overweight. And nearly 16 percent of those who were previously overweight became obese. About 18 percent of the soldiers were obese before the pandemic. By 2021, it grew to 23 percent.
  • 16
  • The researchers used a calculation of weight and height called BMI, or body mass index.
  • 17
  • A person with a BMI of 18.5 to 25 is considered healthy, while a BMI of 25 to less than 30 is considered overweight. A BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese. Some experts say the BMI measure is flawed. They say it does not consider muscle mass or other health conditions in its calculations. However, BMI remains a widely used tool.
  • 18
  • In Sergeant Murillo's case, his BMI during the pandemic reached nearly 32. He knew he needed help, so he started a strict exercise program through the Army's Holistic Health and Fitness, or H2F, program.
  • 19
  • "We do two runs a week, 6 and-a-half to 8 kilometers," Murillo said. "Some mornings I wanted to quit, but I hung in there."
  • 20
  • Now, his BMI is just over 27, which is within the Defense Department's standard.
  • 21
  • Putting on extra weight during the pandemic was not just a military problem.
  • 22
  • A study last year of American adults found that nearly half reported gaining weight after the first year of the COVID-19 emergency. Another study found a sharp rise in obesity among children.
  • 23
  • The gains came in a country where more than 40 percent of adults and nearly 20 percent of children are obese, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
  • 24
  • I'm Andrew Smith. And I'm Jill Robbins.
  • 25
  • Jonel Aleccia wrote this story for The Associated Press. Andrew Smith adapted it for VOA Learning English.
  • 26
  • ____________________________________________________________________
  • 27
  • Words in This Story
  • 28
  • lockdown -n. a time period when people must stay at home because of a dangerous situation
  • 29
  • focus -v. to direct one's attention and concentrate on something to the exclusion of other things
  • 30
  • impact -n. the strong effect something has on another thing or person
  • 31
  • disqualify -v. to officially stop someone from participating in an event, activity, or organization
  • 32
  • devastating -adj. extremely upsetting and destructive
  • 33
  • calculation -n. the process of working something out mathematically
  • 34
  • ___________________________________________________________________
  • 35
  • We want to hear from you.
  • 36
  • We have a new comment system. Here is how it works:
  • 37
  • Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.