Which term describes an individual with excess body fat that may adversely affect health?

• A. Obese
• B. Overweight
• C. Morbidly Obese
• D. Fat-Adjusted

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how clinicians categorize body weight by level of excess body fat and related health risk. Overweight describes having more body weight (and fat) than is normal, enough to potentially affect health, but not yet at the more extreme levels of obesity. It signals a risk category that’s higher than normal weight but doesn’t imply the severe health risks and functional limitations that come with obesity or morbid obesity. In contrast, obesity covers a higher range of excess fat with greater health implications, and morbid obesity denotes a very high level of excess fat with substantial risk. Fat-Adjusted isn’t a standard clinical label for describing a person’s weight category. So the term that best fits someone with excess body fat that may adversely affect health—but without specifying extreme severity—is overweight.