Question

A medical assistant is caring for a patient who has a body mass index (BMI) of 23. This patient should be categorized as which of the following?

1) Underweight
2) Normal weight
3) Overweight
4) Obese

Answer 1

Option 2). A medical assistant caring for a patient with a BMI of 23 should categorize them as having a normal weight, based on established BMI ranges.

Step-by-step explanation:

The patient being cared for by a medical assistant has a body mass index (BMI) of 23. As per the prescribed norms, an individual with a BMI of 23 is classified as normal weight, with a BMI range from 18 to 24.9. As a result, the patient's weight should be considered normal.

It is crucial to remember that, despite being an effective tool for classifying people according to their weight, BMI has several drawbacks. For example, it does not differentiate between fat and muscle mass, which might lead to incorrect classifications, especially for people who are physically fit or have a lot of muscle mass. The BMI is nevertheless a widely used measure of healthy weight ranges in spite of these drawbacks.