Some military personnel are putting themselves under the knife, using liposuction to get rid of any extra fat in order to pass the Pentagon’s body fat test, which can dictate their future military roles.
How far would you go to pass a test critical to your career? Some military personnel are putting themselves under the knife, using liposuction to get rid of any extra fat in order to pass the Pentagon’s body fat test, which can dictate their future military roles.
Fitness experts and doctors are calling this test, which only measures the neck and waist, inaccurate and outdated. Not only are overweight people failing the test, but also people with sturdy, muscular builds.
In the Army alone, the number of soldiers kicked out for being physically unfit shot up from 168 in 2008 to 1,815 in 2013. In a panic to avoid this fate or even delayed promotions, personnel can resort to extreme dieting or plastic surgeons.
Defense officials say the test ensures personnel can withstand combat’s physical demands, and only a small percentage who exceed body fat standards are fit enough to also do well on physical fitness testing.
According to current standards, women are allowed 30 to 36 percent body fat depending on their age while men are allowed 20 to 26 percent. Critics recommend moving to the more widely used body mass index, which is based on height and weight.
