Association of childhood sexual abuse with obesity in a community sample of lesbians.
OBJECTIVE
Our goal was to examine the association between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and obesity in a community-based sample of self-identified lesbians.


METHODS
A diverse sample of women who self-identified as lesbian was recruited from the greater Chicago metropolitan area. Women (n=416) were interviewed about sexual abuse experiences that occurred before the age of 18. Self-reported height and weight were used to calculate BMI and categorize women as normal-weight (<25.0 kg/m2), overweight (25.0 to 29.9 kg/m2), obese (30.0 to 39.9 kg/m2), or severely obese (>or=40 kg/m2). The relationship between CSA and BMI was examined using multinomial logistic regression analysis.


RESULTS
Overall, 31% of women in the sample reported CSA, and 57% had BMI>or=25.0 kg/m2. Mean BMI was 27.8 (+/-7.2) kg/m2 and was significantly higher among women who reported CSA than among those who did not report CSA (29.4 vs. 27.1, p<0.01). CSA was significantly related to weight status; 39% of women who reported CSA compared with 25% of women who did not report CSA were obese (p=0.004). After adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, and education, women who reported CSA were more likely to be obese (odds ratio, 1.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-3.4) or severely obese (odds ratio, 2.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-5.2).


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings, in conjunction with the available literature, suggest that CSA may be an important risk factor for obesity. Understanding CSA as a factor that may contribute to weight gain or act as a barrier to weight loss or maintenance in lesbians, a high-risk group for both CSA and obesity, is important for developing successful obesity interventions for this group of women.
Aaron
Deborah J
DJ
Department of Health and Physical Activity, 155 Trees Hall, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA. debaaron@pitt.edu
Hughes
Tonda L
TL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002641:Chicago; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D018452:Homosexuality, Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D012111:Residence Characteristics