The federal military has been plagued for years by concerns about youth recruitment. One reason is the increasing number of overweight young men. For example, in 2022, a quarter of obese men were classified as unfit or only partially fit for military service.
Since 1990, the average body weight of 18-year-old male Austrians has increased by 6.4 kilograms, from 70.7 kilograms to 77.1 kilograms, army spokesman Michael Bauer reported on Monday on X (formerly Twitter). During the same period, the average height of men only grew by 1.4 centimeters – from 177.1 to 178.5 centimeters, Bauer continued.
As part of a study published in 2022, a research team led by Gerhard Prager from the Obesity Outpatient Clinic of the University Clinic for General Surgery of MedUni Vienna used the health data of young men in the Austrian Armed Forces to find that the prevalence of obesity has increased and especially obesity (an increase in body fat exceeding normal levels, note) grades 2 and 3 has increased disproportionately.
According to data from Statistics Austria, 3.7 million people in Austria over the age of 15 are overweight, and about 17 percent of them are already obese. At the age of eight, one in three boys and one in four girls is overweight or obese.
More and more young men are obese
Obesity is increasing, especially in industrialized countries. In this country you can see this in a fifteen-year comparison of young men being examined for their health suitability in the armed forces. Between 2003 and 2018, the number of obese young men increased to more than ten percent.
According to the WHO, adults with a body mass index – the quotient of weight and height squared (kg/m²) – of 25 are considered overweight, and above 30 experts call them obese. Data from Austria shows that around a quarter of children and young people and more than half of adults are currently overweight or obese – and unfortunately the trend is rising.
Many people are not fit because they are overweight
As Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) explained at a media event in January, the unfitness of young men is mainly due to their lack of physical fitness, mainly due to being overweight, and increasing psychological stress.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
