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To assist program planners in the development of interventions for the most appropriate target groups, we sought to improve the knowledge on these 2 aspects.
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Furthermore, the racial/ethnic patterns of obesity are understudied in sexual minority populations. However, there is insufficient information for the planning of targeted interventions, because we know little about the onset of the weight disparity by sexual orientation within a generalizable population of men and women. The available evidence establishes the existence of weight disparities by sexual orientation and a need for interventions for sexual minority women. 20 Moreover, data from the Nurses’ Health Study II, a predominantly White cohort, showed that lesbian and bisexual women had significantly greater prevalence of overweight or obesity at age 18 years 14 and had an adverse weight gain trajectory from ages 25 to 59 years 21 compared with heterosexual women in this cohort. In a group of predominantly White adolescents, sexual minority females had consistently increased BMI throughout adolescence compared with heterosexual females, whereas sexual minority males had decreased BMI in late adolescence compared with heterosexual males. 12–19 Some evidence suggests that the weight disparity between sexual orientation groups may begin at an early age. 10,11 For women, the relationship between sexual orientation and weight is inverse: studies have consistently concluded that lesbian women have an increased likelihood of overweight and obesity compared with heterosexual women. Compared with heterosexual men, gay and bisexual men have a lower body mass index (BMI defined as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) 8,9 and decreased odds of being overweight or obese. Research has also linked obesity to sexual orientation. 4,7 The prevalence of obesity among men is about the same for all income and educational levels among women, those with higher income and greater educational attainment are less likely to be obese than women with less education and lower income. Among both genders, Asian individuals have the lowest prevalence of obesity (11.6% for both sexes), followed by non-Hispanic Whites (33% for women and 31% for men) and Mexican Americans (43% for women and 32% for men) non-Hispanic Blacks have the highest prevalence of obesity (51% in women and 37% in men). 2 Obesity affects some population groups more than others, in that it has been linked to gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. 1 Despite public health efforts, the prevalence of obesity has continued to increase, rising to 68% in the general population. Obesity is among the most pressing public health issues facing the nation because of the numerous health risks associated with this condition. Our findings indicate a need for age- and culture-sensitive interventions that reduce weight or prevent weight gain in sexual minority women and men. This protective effect was seen after age 18 years except among African American bisexual men.Ĭonclusions. Sexual minority status was protective against unhealthy weight among White, African American, Asian, and Latino men compared with heterosexual counterparts of the same race/ethnicity. Sexual minority status was unrelated to weight among Latinas and inconsistently linked to weight among Asian women compared with heterosexual women of the same race/ethnicity. Compared with heterosexual women of the same race/ethnicity, White and African American lesbians and bisexuals had increased likelihood of being overweight at age 18 years and maintaining overweight status during adulthood. Using regression models, we examined overweight status and change in weight by sexual orientation, stratifying by race/ethnicity and gender. We used 2001–2007 data from the California Health Interview Survey, resulting in an unweighted sample of 120 274 individuals aged 18 to 74 years. We determined differences in weight at age 18 years and at current age and weight change by sexual orientation within different racial/ethnic populations, stratifying by gender.