A systematic review of the literature on weight in sexual minority women.
BACKGROUND
Over the past 20 years, a growing literature has demonstrated that sexual minority women have greater weight than heterosexual women, prompting concern that they may be at high risk for disparities in physical disorders. In 2008, Bowen et al. published a review of the existing research on sexual minority women and obesity, finding no methodologically strong studies with representative sampling procedures.


METHODS
We conducted a systematic review of the literature covering the period of July 2006 to February 2014 on the relationship between sexual orientation and weight. The review includes 20 population-based and 17 nonprobability sample studies.


CONCLUSIONS
The majority of these studies found that lesbian and bisexual women had significantly greater body mass index (BMI) or a higher percentage with a BMI over 30 than heterosexual women. The difference in BMI was fairly consistent across the lifespan, with the weight differences beginning in adolescence. The studies, however, did not show a higher prevalence of physical disorders thought to be associated with weight. This potentially paradoxical finding warrants further research to compare prevalence of chronic disease by BMI category and sexual orientation.
Department of Health Education, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California. Electronic address: meliason@sfsu.edu.
Michele J
MJ
Eliason
Lyon-Martin Health Services, San Francisco, California.
Natalie
N
Ingraham
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, Tennessee.
Sarah C
SC
Fogel
Family and Community Medicine Department, University of Missouri, School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri.
Jane A
JA
McElroy
Urban Health Program, RTI International, San Francisco, California.
Jennifer
J
Lorvick
Department of Health Policy, George Washington School of Public Health and Health Services, Washington, DC.
D Richard
DR
Mauery
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health, Washington, DC.
Suzanne
S
Haynes
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001727:Bisexuality; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D020010:Heterosexuality; D018452:Homosexuality, Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups; D009765:Obesity; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D055815:Young Adult