Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Obesity Rate Among Navy Sailors Climbs Despite Efforts By Military To Reduce Bad Foods, Support Exercise Habits
The New York Times: Trouble For The Pentagon: The Troops Keep Packing On The Pounds
The United States Navy has eliminated fried food and sugary drinks on its ships. It is keeping base gyms and fitness centers open all night. But its sailors keep getting fatter: A new Defense Department study found that 22 percent of them — roughly one in every five — now qualifies as obese. The Navy’s figure is the highest, but the study found striking rises in obesity rates in the other armed services as well, even though the Pentagon has rolled out one strategy after another in recent years to try to keep the troops trim. And the increases have military leaders worried. (Philipps, 9/4)
The Washington Post Fact Checker: Biden Says More Vets Have Committed Suicide Than Killed In Iraq And Afghanistan
The Washington Post recently detailed how the former vice president told a moving but false story about an incident in Afghanistan. While watching a clip of the lengthy monologue that led to this tale, we were struck by his claim that there are more suicides per month of returning veterans than those killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan — “by a long shot.” This seemed an interesting subject for a fact check, though it turned out the data is sketchy and not especially clear. There’s also an added wrinkle — what did Biden, who is not especially precise in his phrasing, mean with his comment? (Kessler, 9/5)
