Like many parents, doctors, and prospective employers across the nation, military recruiters are worried about obesity among American youth. Super-sized meals and sedentary lifestyles today produce increasing numbers of fat teenagers, and in turn shrink the military's recruiting pool.

"It has serious implications for us,'' says Dr. Curtis Gilroy, director of accession policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

The problem is significant enough that the Department of Defense has contracted with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in Washington, D.C., to study the impact on recruiting, not only of obesity but other disturbing youth health trends. That includes a rising incidence of asthma and widespread use of Ritalin and other mood-altering medicines to treat school-age children for Attention Deficit Disorder and hyperactivity. 

Since 1980 the armed forces have cut by two thirds the number of "moral'' waivers granted for misbehavior such as illicit drug abuse and criminal activity. But the number of physical waivers allowed has tripled to reach six percent of all recruits. 

Dr. Jane Arabian, Gilroy's assistant director for recruiting standards, says the services report increasing numbers of applicants who would need to shed so many pounds during basic training that to even try to meet weight standards would be unhealthy, even dangerous, in so brief a time.

"We're disqualifying a number of youth not because they're not at the 'right weight' but because they are too overweight,'' says Arabian.

The National Academy of the Sciences, through its National Research Council, completed a study last year on youth demographic trends and military recruitment. Published as a book titled, Attitudes, Aptitude, and Aspirations of American Youth (National Academy Press, March 2003), the study brought good news overall. It concludes a declining propensity to enlist among young people will be offset in the years ahead by a rising number of births, resulting in a small increase in expected numbers of enlistees.

But an emerging concern regarding pools of potential recruits are physical challenges. Rates of asthma for persons under 18 doubled between 1980 and 1995, and though the official definition of an asthmatic was changed in 1997 from an individual with an asthmatic condition to having at least one asthmatic attack within the past 12 months, the trend "continues to rise,'' the report says.

"Likewise, obesity rates for youth ages 12 to 17 have nearly tripled between 1980 and 1999,'' the report says, citing data from the National Center for Health Sciences. Not surprisingly, the report says, "The rate of military waivers for physical problems has risen markedly in the past 10 years. If these trends continue, they could adversely impact recruiting success or, with waivers, possibly have negative effects on military job performance.''

Arabian says last year's NAS study "barely touched on the medical side so we are having them look more closely at the medical demographics and how that might impact recruiting.''

While recent national news reports have focused on an "epidemic'' of obesity among young Americans, it's been a recruiting issue for years. It contributes to another disturbing statistic: that a third of all recruits fail to complete their initial service obligation.

Arabian says the services have worked hard to reduce attrition, particularly within the first six months of service. Of recruits who entered service in 1999, 15 percent washed out during or soon after boot camp. By 2001, the early washout rate was down to 12 percent. Some of that decline is the result of remedial physical fitness programs for overweight recruits.

"It used to be that if you didn't meet the weight standard by the time you completed basic training you would be separated,'' says Arabian. But the services "are coming to realize that some kids because of their weight when they got in, may not be able to make weight or make the weight standard in a healthy manner. So they adjusted their policies.'' NAS also will study whether the services should relax standards for prescription drug use. With so many doctors prescribing mood drugs for children with attention disorders, Arabian asks, "Does it still make sense to have that as a disqualifier for enlistment?''

The services need to better understand the consequences of granting or denying waivers for physical and medical conditions.

"Because it is a supply and demand type of environment'' for recruiters, Arabian says, "what you might see are some changes in waivers—waivers going up, waivers getting modified. The services are always reevaluating what they are waiving.''

A defense report to Congress on recruit waivers a few years ago showed no significant increase in their use overall, says Arabian. However, it did confirm that persons granted any type of waivers are more likely to leave service early, which drives up training costs.

Tom Philpott is a freelance writer and syndicated news columnist. His column, "Military Update," appears in 48 daily newspapers throughout the United States and overseas.