Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS
Volume 52, Issue 6, Pages 730-734Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/eat.23072
Keywords
body image; body mass index; eating disorders; LGBTQ; race; sexual minority
Funding
- National Institutes of Health-National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute [R01 HL137246]
- National Institutes of Health-National Institute of Mental Health [R01 MH056630]
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ObjectiveEating pathology is more prevalent among women compared to men, but prevalence and correlates associated with eating pathology likely vary among subgroups of women. This study examines prevalence and correlates of restrictive and weight control-related eating pathology in sexual minority women. MethodData were collected from the Pittsburgh Girls Study (PGS). Participants reported on sexual orientation, and race, and body mass index (BMI) was derived from interviewer collected height and weight. Participants completed the Body Image Measure and the Eating Attitudes Test-26. ResultsSexual minority women reported higher BMIs [F (1, 862)=14.69, p<.001], higher levels of body dissatisfaction [F (1, 960)=3.12, p<.01], and higher levels of eating pathology [F (1, 950)=14.21, p<.001] than heterosexual women. Body dissatisfaction mediated the relationship between BMI and eating pathology, and levels of associations were not attenuated by sexual minority status. Race moderated the association between sexual orientation and eating pathology; compared to all other groups, White sexual minority women had the highest level of eating pathology. Results indicate that White sexual minority women have higher levels of eating pathology than Black sexual minority women and both Black and White heterosexual women. Future studies that draw from larger and more diverse, community-based samples are needed. Discussion
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