Overweight and Obesity – Labels & Language

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), overweight and obesity are both labels for ranges of weight that are greater than what is generally considered healthy for a given height. In this toolkit, we are using the CDC's recommendations for the use of people-first language. For example, “adults with obesity” and “individuals who are overweight or have obesity” are used rather than “obese adults” and “individuals who are overweight or are obese”. For more information on people-first language for obesity, click here.