According to the revised consensus guidelines applicable to Asian Indians, the body mass index thresholds for defining overweight and obesity respectively are:

• A Overweight 25 to 29.9 kg/m2, obesity 30 kg/m2 or more
• B Overweight 22 to 24.9 kg/m2, obesity 25 kg/m2 or more
• C Overweight 23 to 24.9 kg/m2, obesity 27.5 kg/m2 or more ✓
• D Overweight 18.5 to 22.9 kg/m2, obesity 23 kg/m2 or more

Explanation

For Asian Indians, the consensus classification sets normal BMI between 18.5 and 22.9 kg/m2, overweight from 23 to 24.9 kg/m2, and obesity at 27.5 kg/m2 or more. These lower cut-offs reflect the higher cardiometabolic risk at a given BMI in South Asians compared with Caucasians. Option A gives the WHO global cut-offs, which is the expected distractor, and it is precisely this difference from international standards that examiners test.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 26th ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.