THE IMPACT OF IDENTITY ON BMI AND CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: A Comparison of Identity, Sociocultural Attitudes, Maladaptive Eating, Physical Activity, Weight Stigma, and BMI among Bisexual, Lesbian, and Heterosexual Women

Abstract

With the rising rates of obesity and its association with chronic health conditions, there has been an increasing focus on the contributing factors. Also concerning are the numerous disparities observed in the prevalence of obesity within certain marginalized groups. In particular, sexual minority women have higher rates of obesity (as defined by BMI) than heterosexual women. This disparity is concerning due to the correlation between obesity and chronic health conditions, and LGBTQ+ populations have significant health disparities compared to their cisgender and heterosexual counterparts. While research has turned towards examining maladaptive eating, physical activity, internalized and experienced weight stigma, and sociocultural attitudes among LGBTQ+ populations, there is still much work to be done in exploring the connections between these variables. For sexual minority women in particular, research has demonstrated that this population reports higher maladaptive eating than heterosexual women despite comparable levels of experienced weight stigma and internalized weight bias. Some research attempting to examine barriers to physical activity for lesbian and bisexual women has hypothesized that the unique identity of an LGBTQ+ individual may play a significant role in health behavior engagement. Therefore, this dissertation explored the impact of sexual identity on predictors (maladaptive eating, physical activity, internalized and experienced weight stigma, and sociocultural attitudes) of obesity among bisexual and lesbian women, as compared to heterosexual women. Furthermore, the dissertation explored the potential predictive value of identity acceptance, heterosexist experiences, and community connection on BMI outcomes among bisexual and lesbian women. While sexual orientation appeared to moderate the relationship between several predictive variables and BMI, the relationship between these variables and bisexual and lesbian women was not clearly explained by the current models of obesity. Additionally, identity acceptance, community connection, and heterosexist experiences were not predictive of BMI, suggesting they may play more of a distal role in BMI outcomes. Future research should continue to explore the mechanism of obesity for bisexual and lesbian women.