Kleykamp expresses concern over Wounded Warrior Project survey results
The 2015 Wounded Warrior Project survey assessed the physical and mental health of injured veterans previously serviced by the project. While the reported concern regarding mental health issues including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety was expected, faculty associate Meredith Kleykamp was surprised by results on physical fitness.
The survey found that 46% of the projects’ alumni are obese, and 38.8% are overweight, which Dr. Kleykamp views as a concern because these individuals were healthy when they entered the military. Given the state of physical and mental health among injured veterans, she further remarks on the need to prepare for the future of injured veterans with the statement, “We’ve had more than a decade for some of these folks to be back and out of the military and living a new normal. I think it’s important now to start thinking about the consequences of aging. … If we don’t get on top of it now, it’s going to creep up on us.”