When more than about 20% of a person's body weight is composed of fat, the individual is typically classified as suffering from which nutritional disorder?

Introduction / Context:
Body composition, particularly the amount of fat relative to total body weight, is used as an important indicator of nutritional status and health risk. When the proportion of body fat rises beyond healthy limits, the condition is classified as a nutritional and lifestyle disorder. This question asks you to identify the name given to a state where more than about 20 percent of body weight is due to fat, which is often used as a simple indicator for excessive fat accumulation.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The person has more than roughly 20 percent of body weight as fat.
• Options include marasmus, kwashiorkor, scurvy, obesity, and anaemia.
• We assume common textbook definitions of these nutritional disorders.
• The focus is specifically on excess fat rather than deficiency of nutrients.

Concept / Approach:
Obesity is defined as an abnormal or excessive accumulation of body fat that may impair health. While precise classification often uses body mass index (BMI) and more accurate body fat percentage thresholds, a high proportion of body weight as fat, such as beyond 20 percent in some contexts, is associated with obesity. Marasmus and kwashiorkor are forms of severe undernutrition or protein energy malnutrition, scurvy is caused by vitamin C deficiency, and anaemia is usually due to low haemoglobin or red blood cells. None of these conditions involve excessive fat; only obesity does.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recognise that the key clue is a high proportion of body weight made up of fat, not a deficiency state. Step 2: Recall that obesity is a condition of excessive body fat accumulation. Step 3: Note that marasmus and kwashiorkor present with underweight and muscle wasting, not with excess fat. Step 4: Understand that scurvy results from lack of vitamin C and presents with bleeding gums and poor wound healing. Step 5: Know that anaemia is related to reduced oxygen carrying capacity of the blood due to low red blood cells or haemoglobin. Step 6: Therefore, the description of more than about 20 percent body fat aligns with obesity.

Verification / Alternative check:
Nutrition and public health sources define obesity based on BMI and body fat percentage, noting that higher percentages correspond to higher health risks such as heart disease, diabetes, and joint problems. They distinguish obesity from undernutrition conditions like marasmus and kwashiorkor, which are associated with low body weight and depletion of fat stores. This clear conceptual contrast supports obesity as the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Marasmus: A severe form of calorie deficiency, where fat and muscle stores are greatly reduced, not increased. Kwashiorkor: A protein deficiency disorder often seen in children, characterised by oedema and muscle wasting, not by excess body fat percentage. Scurvy: Caused by vitamin C deficiency, resulting in connective tissue problems, not directly related to fat levels. Anaemia: Involves low haemoglobin and reduced oxygen carrying capacity, not a measure of body fat.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse obesity with oedema seen in kwashiorkor, because both may involve apparent swelling. However, oedema is fluid accumulation, while obesity reflects fat accumulation. It is important to differentiate excess fat stores from fluid retention and to connect obesity with lifestyle and dietary excess rather than deficiency.

Final Answer:
The correct answer is Obesity.