February 6, 2025
A 1989 Canadian Forces study found that five per cent of the then-88,000 regular force was obese while another 17 per cent was considered overweight. In comparison 15 per cent of Canadians were considered obese and 15 per cent overweight, according to the study.

Obesity rate in Canadian military higher than that of the general population: internal briefing

Sixty-eight per cent of Canadian men are considered obese or overweight, while that rate is 78 per cent for men in the military. The rate for women in the military is also higher

Military leaders have been warned that Canada’s troops are becoming increasingly overweight and obese, with 72 per cent of armed forces personnel falling into those two categories.

“Obesity prevalence has been slowly increasing for many years,” senior leaders were warned in a series of briefings in June 2024 conducted by officials with Canadian Forces Health Services.

That, in turn, has been associated with an increase in sick days and medical releases as well as reduced readiness and productivity.

Forty-four percent of personnel in the Canadian Armed Forces are considered overweight while 28 per cent are classified as obese, according to the briefings.

The briefings for the leaders of the army, navy and air force were obtained through the Access to Information Act by Ottawa-based researcher Ken Rubin.

Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members have much higher levels of physical activity than the overall Canadian population, the briefings noted.

But the military also had higher rates of obesity. Sixty-eight per cent of Canadian men were considered obese or overweight, while that rate was 78 per cent for men in the military, the briefings pointed out. Fifty-three per cent of Canadian women were considered obese or overweight while in the military that figure is 57 per cent.

One of the reports for the senior leadership concluded that “increasing physical activity level will not resolve the challenges of obesity in the CAF.”

To deal with the problem, military health specialists suggested promoting a culture of fitness through physical activity, injury prevention, sleep and nutrition.

Rubin said that the Canadian Forces and Department of National Defence tried to hide the reports in question. He submitted two requests under the Access to Information Act in July 2024 for records discussing data on the overall physical fitness status of military personnel as well as documents about weight. But DND’s access-to-information branch informed Rubin that a “thorough and complete search” of records was conducted and not a single document could be found.

Rubin then submitted a similar request to the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS), an organization separate from DND, and received 141 pages of records. That included the briefings produced by DND and Canadian Forces staff on obesity and physical fitness in the ranks and presented directly to the heads of the army, navy and air force.

“I think (DND) was hiding the records because they’re embarrassed,” Rubin said in an interview. “This is information that people have a right to know and information of consequence. Is the military fighting fit or not?”

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Jack’s Note: No battle efficiency tests anymore?

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