The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) wants its 20,000
regular servicemen to be fighting fit and warns that those who are
obese and are doing nothing about their shape will get booted
out.
Regulars with a body mass index (BMI) exceeding 29 – for
instance, someone who is 1.8m tall and weighs 94kg – should pay
closer attention to their weight and fitness levels.
According to The Straits Times, since early this year,
overweight soldiers, sailors or airmen have received warning
letters and are given a year to lose at least ten per cent of their
weight.
Those who fail to drop the kilos will be given a second warning
and have up to another three years to shape up – or risk being
shipped out.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed the new BMI
guidelines but did not say when the stricter measures kicked in.
The BMI – which is calculated by dividing a person’s weight in
kilograms by the square of his or her height in metres – provides
an estimate of a person’s body fat.
SAF regulars claim they were aware of the measures only at the
start of this year. A circular obtained dated April this year
informed them that those who do not shape up after three years
would be subjected to “admin action as this is considered a BMI
failure”. It is unclear how many are classified as “BMI failures”
even as all 20,000 regulars in the SAF undergo compulsory BMI
screening.
Defence Ministry spokesman Desmond Tan revealed that regulars
with a BMI of 30 and above will be referred for “weight management
by medical specialists at a hospital-based weight management
clinic”.
Those with a slightly lower BMI of 27 to below 30 will be
enrolled in a different weight management programme that “comprises
health screening, dietary counselling and an exercise regime”. The
ministry first introduced this weight management programme in
2002.
The BMI is used as a health indicator “to reduce weight-related
health risks among regular servicemen”, Colonel Tan said.
He added that the SAF also takes into account other factors like
the measurement of percentage body fat and the Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) as
health and fitness indicators for SAF regulars.
“The SAF is committed to helping its uniformed regulars maintain
a healthy lifestyle to ensure that they are able to perform their
required tasks and contribute effectively to the SAF,” Colonel Tan
said.
According to the Health Promotion Board (HPB), Asians with BMI
scores above 27.5 are at a “high risk” of developing
cardiovascular diseases like hearth attacks, hypertension and
diabetes. A BMI score between 18.5 and 23 is considered
healthy.
Although other military units, like those in the United States
and Britain also watch their troops’ waistlines and gauge combat
performance, studies have shown that BMI does not accurately
reflect whether a person is unfit or carrying excess fat.
Ms Kalpana Bhaskaran, a nutritionist and spokesman for the
Singapore Nutrition and Diabetics Association,
said that although the BMI is a convenient tool, “it does not
take into account different body types or gender differences and
also the amount of body fat, and lean body mass”.
She explains, “Because muscle weighs more than fat, it’s
possible for a muscular person to have a high BMI, but that doesn’t
mean he or she is overweight. Likewise, it’s possible for someone
to have a low or ideal BMI but still have too much body fat.”
Chris Chew, a fitness instructor, thinks the BMI benchmark
of 30 and above is quite lax.
“To have a BMI of over 30, you are either a really serious
bodybuilder or just obese… Anyway, you need fit and healthy people
to have a strong military,” he said.
A serviceman who tips the scales at 89kg and is 1.72cm tall
revealed he has been told by his superiors to lose weight to avoid
being served a warning letter. The technician, who declined to be
named, told the paper that he has been doing more workouts and
cutting down on fatty foods and carbohydrates in hope of shedding a
few kilos within the next six months.
“If my weight is going to affect my career progression and may
even make me lose my job, then it’s worth the effort and the pain,”
he added.
Latest figures from HPB show that in 2004, 6.9 per cent of
adults aged between 18 and 69 were obese, an increase of 0.9
percentage point over the figure in 1998 and up from 5.1 per cent
in 1992.