Michelle Obama plans an upcoming trip to Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas to focus on obesity in the military according to the Wall Street Journal today.
The trip is part of her tour promoting the second anniversary of her ‘Let’s Move’ health initiative.
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Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of Defense for health affairs, has said that 25% of those who want to join the military are too overweight to make it through the initial process and that weight gain is increasingly a problem among active-duty service members. The Defense Department also estimates it spends $1.1 billion a year on medical care for weight-related problems.
“The Department of Defense considers obesity not only a national problem but a national security issue,” Mr. Woodson told reporters in advance of Mrs. Obama’s trip.
