Sexual orientation and disordered eating behaviors among self-identified male and female college students

Eating Disorders and Disordered Weight and Shape Control Behaviors in Sexual Minority Populations

“…Consistent with findings from prior studies, Matthews-Ewald et al examined data from the NCHA and found that, after adjusting for other risk factors (binge drinking, stress, smoking, depression, fraternity/sorority membership, college athletics participation, and race/ethnicity), gay, bisexual, and unsure men reported 3–4.5 times the odds of purging compared to heterosexual men. [22] This trend is consistent with that found in younger adolescent males from pooled data from the 1999–2013 Massachusetts YRBS, analyzed by Watson and colleagues [33]. In 1999 and 2001, gay adolescent males in the Massachusetts YRBS had nearly 16 times the odds of heterosexual men of purging.…”

“…The American College Health Association National College Health Assessment (NCHA) dataset, examined by Matthews-Ewald and colleagues [22] and Diemer and colleagues [23] provided a unique opportunity to study the intersections of sexual and gender minority identities. However, whereas Matthews-Ewald and colleagues excluded transgender participants from analysis, Diemer and colleagues identified differences in past-year diagnosis and treatment for AN and BN by sexual orientation among cisgender (i.e., individuals whose gender identities align with their birth sexes) and transgender college students.…”

“…Matthews-Ewald and colleagues examined NCHA data and compared odds of dieting to lose weight by sexual orientation subgroup, adjusting for factors such as binge drinking, stress, smoking, depression, fraternity/sorority membership, college athletics participation, and race. [22] Results indicated that gay, bisexual, and unsure men reported approximately 30%–60% greater odds of dieting to lose weight, and that lesbian, bisexual, and unsure women reported approximately 20%–35% greater odds of dieting to lose weight. [22]…”

Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, and Eating-Related Pathology in a National Sample of College Students

“…Transgender participants were also significantly more likely than members of any other group, including cisgender sexual minorities, to report past year ED diagnosis and past month CBs. Consistent with prior research, we found that eating-related pathology was more prevalent among those with transgender and SM identities (eg., (7-9, 13, 18)). As in previous studies, women who were unsure of their sexual orientation were more likely to have engaged in CBs than cisgender heterosexual women (13, 17), cisgender SM women had significantly lower rates of CBs than cisgender heterosexual women, and cisgender heterosexual men had decreased rates of all three outcomes (13, 27, 28).…”

“…Several studies have found elevated rates of disordered eating among individuals unsure of their sexual orientation relative to their same-gender heterosexual counterparts (e.g., (13, 17)). A recent study examining differences in disordered eating by sexual orientation using data from the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA) found that men who identified as gay, bisexual, and unsure of their sexual orientation were all significantly more likely than heterosexual men to have an ED diagnosis and to engage in CBs, whereas associations among women were inconsistent and less robust (18). The authors stratified their analyses by gender, which prevented comparisons of heterosexual and SM males to heterosexual women, the most well studied group in the ED literature.…”