Being Overweight Linked To Soldier's Death

Overweight serving soldiers should not underestimate the dangers of their weight

Overweight individuals suffer far more in hot weather than normal weight people as has been evidenced by the row concerning the death of Private Jason Smith in Iraq.  Private Smith who was 32 years old died from heat stroke which was mainly due to the intense heat that he experienced but also because of the fact that he was according to the coroner’s report ‘very overweight’.

Private Smith weighed seventeen stone and this gave him a BMI of 34 which placed him in the category for obesity which would have made it far more difficult for him to do his job in intense heat than for normal weight soldiers. This tragedy has underlined the importance of regular health checks in the British Army and the increasing problem of excess weight in serving soldiers. One of the reports recommended that soldiers sent to war zones should be made to undergo more stringent medical checks.

Being very overweight already puts you into a higher risk category for early death and this risk is obviously increased even further if you have a job in emergency services such as being a policeman, fireman or soldier. When physical agility could make a difference between life and death being overweight becomes even more dangerous and even reckless. Overweight serving soldiers should not underestimate the dangers of their weight.

Developed nations all around the world are saying that their national fighting forces and emergency services are becoming heavier and while the problem is slight at present it is growing in some cases to alarming proportions.

In America recently the head of Army Recruitment said that they were having problems finding new recruits because of weight issues and were thinking of lowering health standards so that more people could sign up.