More veterans are becoming obese. Are stressful military transitions to blame?

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The number of disabled veterans is rising. And so, too, is their weight.

A new study, based on a survey of more than 33,000 post-9/11 service members and veterans, found that 51.7 percent of wounded warriors have a body mass index that qualifies them as obese — up from 48.6 percent two years ago. Of those, 6.2 percent are morbidly obese.

Even more grim? The percentage of vets who are overweight in 2018 is nearly seven times greater than the percentage of those who are not, according to the study released today by Wounded Warrior Project and the nonprofit’s research partner, Westat.

Fewer than half of survey participants, 42 percent, said they exercised at least three times a week, and those who maintained healthy eating habits were also in the minority.

Many listed lack of time, fear of injury and discomfort in social situations as reasons for not working out more. But the report’s authors also link struggles with depression, sleep, stress and the military-to-civilian transition as factors that could be impacting weight gain in the wounded warrior population.
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