Recruits entering the Army are reportedly more out of shape than they've ever been, costing the branch millions of dollars as it attempts to overcome its worst recruiting crisis in decades.
A study in the Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases journal found the increased prevalence of unfit Army recruits has led to an alarming rate of injuries to soldiers going through their initial entry training, presenting another issue for a branch already having difficulty finding enough recruits to fill the ranks.
The research, which studied trainees entering the Army during fiscal year 2017, found the nearly 35% of initial-entry trainees suffered at least one musculoskeletal injury during training. The problem was most pronounced among women, with 62% of female trainees suffering a musculoskeletal injury compared to 32% of male recruits.
