The Australian Defence Force is mulling a Weight Watchers program for its obese soldiers, sailors and air-force personnel, documents suggest.
The Defence Science and Technology Organisation conducted a two-year evaluation of the results of a Weight Watchers trial, and new documents issued under Freedom of Information laws suggest this could already be in management's hands.
Internal Defence documents show an estimated 15 per cent of ADF personnel have a body mass index in the obese range.
This means 8550 of the 57,000 army, navy and air-force personnel were grossly overweight.
Figures from December show that even the top ADF ranks are affected by obesity, with some captains, squadron leaders and flight lieutenants - and some of their bosses - carrying a BMI of 30 or above.
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The documents conceded, however, this assessment method had its limitations.
"A short person who is very muscular may have a high BMI but have low body fat and be quite healthy," the documents said.
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The ADF ran two 18-week to 24-week Weight Watchers trials in 2011 and 2012 for 180 personnel.
The DSTO were tracking participants for at least two years after the trials ended.
In the first trial participants lost an average of 7-kilograms, 7 per cent of body weight and 9-centimetres around the waist.
More than 63 per cent of participants lost five per cent or more of body weight. The documents said weight loss of five per cent or more conferred a real health benefit.
Preliminary analysis from the latest trial shows 14 of the 26 ADF members who started the program with a BMI of 35 or over - defined as complicated obesity - achieved a BMI under 35 and 15 achieved at least a 5 per cent reduction in body weight ....
