A new study examining the fitness level of U.S. Army recruits from across the country finds recruits from Tennessee and nine other southern states are the most unfit. Conducted by an exercise scientist at The Citadel, the U.S. Army Public Health Center, and the American Heart Association, the study examined injuries and fitness among 165,584 recruits. Researchers specifically examined cardiorespiratory fitness, Body Mass Index (BMI) and the injury rate of recruits from specific states. What they found was recruits -both male and female- from the south were 22-28% more likely to become injured than recruits from other states. The states include Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.

Dr. Daniel B. Bornstein, lead author of the study, says “Results from this study demonstrate how certain states, previously identified for their disproportionate public health burden, are also disproportionately burdensome for military readiness and national security.”

Bornstein adds advocating for active living policies to improve national security could provide more promising results.