Relationship between weight‐related behavioral profiles and health outcomes by sexual orientation and gender

Abstract

Objective Examine relationships between weight-related factors and weight status, body dissatisfaction, chronic health conditions, and quality of life across sexual orientation and gender. Methods Two- and four-year college students participated in the College Student Health Survey (n=28,703; 2009-2013). Risk differences were calculated to estimate relationships between behavioral profiles and weight status, body satisfaction, diagnosis of a chronic condition, and quality of life, stratified by gender and sexual orientation. Four behavioral profiles, characterized as “healthier eating habits, more physically active,” “healthier eating habits,” “moderate eating habits,” and “unhealthy weight control,” were utilized based on latent class analyses, estimated from nine weight-related behavioral survey items. Results Sexual orientation differences in weight and quality of life were identified. For example, sexual minority groups reported significantly poorer quality of life than their heterosexual counterparts (females: 22.5%-38.6% (sexual minority) vs. 19.8% (heterosexual); males: 14.3%-26.7% (sexual minority) vs. 11.8% (heterosexual)). Compared to the “healthier eating habits, more physically active” profile, the “unhealthy weight control” profile was associated with obesity, poor body satisfaction, and poor quality of life in multiple gender/sexual orientation subgroups. Conclusions Interventions are needed to address obesity, body dissatisfaction, and poor quality of life among sexual minority college students.

Harassment and Mental Distress Among Adolescent Female Students by Sexual Identity and BMI or Perceived Weight Status

“…Sexual minority females across both BMI categories reported more harassment and mental distress than heterosexual females of either BMI category but generally did not differ from each other. These uniformly high rates of harassment and mental distress among sexual minority females may indicate that sexual minorities remain particularly vulnerable to bullying and mental distress above and beyond other targeted groups . This pattern may also support the broader literature on the ubiquity of minority stress in the form of harassment and mental distress for sexual minority youth .…”

Eating disorders symptoms in sexual minority women: A systematic review

“…Bankoff et al (), Cella et al (, ), and Yean et al () did not find any differences between the selected groups, whereas Gettelman and Thompson () found a lower risk of unhealthy behaviours in lesbian women. Only Katz‐Wise et al (), who recruited young volunteers, and VanKim et al (), recruiting college students, found a larger presence of disordered eating in SM women than heterosexual sample.…”

“…Conversely, a greater body satisfaction than heterosexual women was found in SM women by Bergeron andSenn (1998), French et al (1996), Gettelman and Thompson (1993), Herzog et al (1992), Lakkis et al (1999), Moore and Keel (2003), Mor et al (2015), Owens et al (2003), Peplau et al (2008), Polimeni et al (2009), Schneider et al (1995, Siever (1994), and Strong et al (2000). Other studies did not show any significant difference as regards sexual orientation (Beren et al, 1996;Cella et al, 2010Cella et al, , 2013Davids & Green, 2011;Legenbauer et al, 2009; Nelson et al, 2011;Striegel-Moore et al, 1990;VanKim et al, 2016;Yean et al, 2013).…”

Disparities in self‐reported eating disorders and academic impairment in sexual and gender minority college students relative to their heterosexual and cisgender peers

“…EDs and ED behavior are more prevalent among LGBQ+ individuals relative to heterosexual individuals. These disparities have been identified across the full spectrum of eating pathology (Bankoff, Richards, Bartlett, Wolf, & Mitchell, ; Calzo et al, ; VanKim et al, ). For example, EDs and ED behaviors are more common among men who identify as gay, bisexual or prefer an alternative identifier (Bankoff et al, ) and sexual minority women, broadly defined (Diemer et al, ) as compared to heterosexual men and women.…”