Rates of disordered eating behaviors across sexual minority undergraduate men and women.

Abstract

The current study explored the rates of disordered eating behaviors across sexual minority undergraduate men and women. The sample included 3,411 undergraduate men and women from a large, public university. Participants completed a self-report, online questionnaire regarding sexual orientation, demographics, and disordered eating behaviors. Descriptive analyses revealed that women who have sex with women endorsed the greatest subclinical and clinical levels of self-induced vomiting and subclinical levels of laxative misuse. Women who have sex only with men reported rates of disordered eating behaviors consistent with the existing literature. High rates of subjective (62.5%) and objective (33.3%) binge eating were reported by women. Comparisons among men revealed men who have sex with men reported the high rates of subclinical objective binge eating. Men who have sex with both men and women reported high rates of clinical levels of objective binge eating. Multivariate analyses controlling for age and race/ethnicity, were conducted. There were statistically significant group difference of gender and sexual orientation on subjective binge eating. These findings demonstrate both statistically and clinically significant differences across sexual orientation groups.

Eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors in the LGBT population: a review of the literature

“…Researchers have found that adult lesbians appeared to diet frequently and exercised more than other groups [ 75 , 139 ]. Further, adult and adolescent lesbians were also found to have significantly higher incidences of disordered eating behaviors than heterosexual women and men [ 42 , 67 , 88 ], reported more frequent binge eating, purging, and laxative use than heterosexuals, with binge eating occurring at higher rates than any other sexual orientation group [ 7 , 31 , 161 ]. Moreover, results of a longitudinal study revealed adult and adolescent sexual minority women were more likely to engage in restrictive dieting than heterosexual women [ 103 ].…”

“…Early research findings suggest that gay adults reported more frequent dieting and greater dietary restraint, more binge eating, less control over their eating behaviors, more purging, and more exercise than heterosexual men [ 56 , 99 , 139 ] and these findings are supported by more contemporary research. Compared to heterosexual men, gay adults reported increased rates of binge eating, disordered eating behaviors, unhealthy weight control behaviors, food addiction, and diagnosed clinical eating disorders, in addition to poorer physical activity ([ 10 , 20 , 27 , 54 , 58 , 67 , 113 , 127 , 137 , 141 , 145 , 146 , 149 , 152 , 159 , 161 , 172 , 173 ]).…”

Lived experiences of subjective binge eating: An inductive thematic analysis

“…Existing data suggest that SBEs are common in both nonclinical and clinical samples (e.g., Goossens, Soenens, & Braet, 2009; Kerzhnerman & Lowe, 2002; Luce, Crowther, & Pole, 2008; Von Schell, Ohrt, Bruening, & Perez, 2018). Several studies have examined similarities and differences between SBEs and OBEs, finding few differences regarding associated eating disorder symptom severity (Jenkins, Conley, Hoste, Meyer, & Blissett, 2012; Mond, Latner, Hay, Owen, & Rodgers, 2010), psychiatric comorbidity, and quality of life (Goossens et al, 2009; Li et al, 2019; Mulders‐Jones et al, 2017; Palavras, Hay, Lujic, & Claudino, 2015; Palavras, Morgan, Borges, Claudino, & Hay, 2013).…”

Community norms for the eating disorder examination questionnaire (EDE-Q) among cisgender bisexual plus women and men

“…The existing research in presumably cisgender men suggests that bisexual men experience greater dissatisfaction with their bodies and a higher incidence of eating disorder symptoms compared to heterosexual men [ 12 ]. One study comparing rates of disordered eating behaviors among university men found the highest rates of objective binge eating among men who have sex with either men or women (29%) compared to men who have sex with men (6%) or men who have sex with women (10%) [ 13 ]. Among bisexual men, exercise frequency has been found to be significantly associated with eating disorder symptomology, suggesting that, when compared with any other subgroup, bisexual men are more likely to use exercise as a method of weight control [ 14 ].…”