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Plunging test scores are a slow-moving catastrophe

207 points · 414 comments · vinni2

  1. Animats · · focus · HN ↗
    Plunging physical fitness test scores are even worse.[1] "Fat people don't make good soldiers … they get themselves or others hurt or killed." The US military says 31% of US youth are too fat to serve. 77% are not qualified for one or more reasons.[2]

    Only 12% of American male youth who are qualified for the military are not in college.

    Think about that. About 2/3 of American male youth are not good enough for either college or the military. That's a high reject rate.

    [1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.military.com&#x2F;daily-news&#x2F;2018&#x2F;10&#x2F;10&#x2F;one-third-youths-too-obese-military-service-study-finds.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.military.com&#x2F;daily-news&#x2F;2018&#x2F;10&#x2F;10&#x2F;one-third-you...

    [2] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.military.com&#x2F;daily-news&#x2F;2022&#x2F;09&#x2F;28&#x2F;new-pentagon-study-shows-77-of-young-americans-are-ineligible-military-service.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.military.com&#x2F;daily-news&#x2F;2022&#x2F;09&#x2F;28&#x2F;new-pentagon-...

    1. armchairhacker · · focus · HN ↗
      Why don’t governments pay for free GLPs for everyone overweight? They overrepay for themselves by reducing medical care.
      1. supertrope · · focus · HN ↗
        It&#x27;s much more effective to address the obesity problem on the front end.

        We have fast food and junk food advertising targeting kids. Kids are driven to school instead of walking or biking. School lunches are optimized to be cheap not nutritious. Pediatricians have to tap dance around weight. When the Obama Administration tried to push for healthier lunches there was pushback from the right over government bad, from industry over higher costs, and from school districts over costs. Healthier food for kids could not win a durable political coalition!

        1. tick_tock_tick · · focus · HN ↗
          &gt; It&#x27;s much more effective to address the obesity problem on the front end.

          Is it? GLPs cost literally pennies to manufacture in bulk. The government could easily justify a trillion to just buy the rights and give it away for free and still come out ahead on healthcare cost savings.

          Everything your suggesting sounds like a lot of work by comparison.

          1. seanmcdirmid · · focus · HN ↗
            GLPs require some good dietician advice to be given and followed to be effective, otherwise you are just trading off obesity for an eating disorder. You really have to do both, provide the high protein + high fiber food alternatives and the GLP to make cheating less likely.
            1. tick_tock_tick · · focus · HN ↗
              That&#x27;s not even vaguely true a low dose is effective enough at reducing hungry enough to get slow and steady weight loss and require zero planning or effort on the users part.

              The only time you need a dietician is if you want a high enough dose you barely want to eat at all.

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