Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Feb;103(2):e16-22.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.301150. Epub 2012 Dec 13.

Eating disorder symptoms and obesity at the intersections of gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation in US high school students

S Bryn Austin  1 , Lauren A Nelson, Michelle A Birkett, Jerel P Calzo, Bethany Everett
Affiliations

Eating disorder symptoms and obesity at the intersections of gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation in US high school students

S Bryn Austin et al. Am J Public Health. 2013 Feb.

Abstract

Objectives: We examined purging for weight control, diet pill use, and obesity across sexual orientation identity and ethnicity groups.

Methods: Anonymous survey data were analyzed from 24 591 high school students of diverse ethnicities in the federal Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System Survey in 2005 and 2007. Self-reported data were gathered on gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation identity, height, weight, and purging and diet pill use in the past 30 days. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate odds of purging, diet pill use, and obesity associated with sexual orientation identity in gender-stratified models and examined for the presence of interactions between ethnicity and sexual orientation.

Results: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) identity was associated with substantially elevated odds of purging and diet pill use in both girls and boys (odds ratios [OR] range = 1.9-6.8). Bisexual girls and boys were also at elevated odds of obesity compared to same-gender heterosexuals (OR = 2.3 and 2.1, respectively).

Conclusions: Interventions to reduce eating disorders and obesity that are appropriate for LGB youths of diverse ethnicities are urgently needed.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Kit BK, Flegal KM. Prevalence of obesity and trends in body mass index among US children and adolescents, 1999-2010. JAMA. 2012;307(5):483–490 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Freedman DS, Zuguo M, Srinivasan SR, Berenson GS, Dietz WH. Cardiovascular risk factors and excess adiposity among overweight children and adolescents: the Bogalusa Heart Study. J Pediatr. 2007;150(1):12–17 - PubMed
    1. Li C, Ford ES, Zhao G, Mokdad AH. Prevalence of pre-diabetes and its association with clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors and hyperinsulinemia among US adolescents: NHANES 2005-2006. Diabetes Care. 2009;32(2):342–347 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Daniels SR, Arnett DK, Eckel RHet al.Overweight in children and adolescents: pathophysiology, consequences, prevention, and treatment. Circulation. 2005;111(15):1999–2012 - PubMed
    1. Dietz WH. Overweight in childhood and adolescence. N Engl J Med. 2004;350(9):855–857 - PubMed

Publication types