title: An Examination of Past and Current Influences of Rurality on Lesbians' Overweight/Obesity Risks.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of our study was to separately examine past (i.e., rural or non-rural background) and present (i.e., current rural or urban location) influences of rurality on the weight status and diet/exercise behaviors of lesbians.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 895 lesbians participated in the online study. Participants were surveyed regarding their rurality status, weight/height, and diet/exercise patterns. A 2×2 (location×background) ANCOVA was conducted to explore influences of rurality on body mass index (BMI), while controlling for age, race, and education. Chi-square analyses were used to examine the relationship between dimensions of rurality and diet/exercise behaviors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant main effect of current location on BMI. No significant interaction between location and background on BMI was found nor was there a significant main effect of background. Lesbians currently living in rural areas were on average obese (M=30.61), with significantly higher BMIs than urban-residing lesbians (M=28.53). The only significant differences that emerged for lesbians' diet/exercise patterns were for current location-more rural-residing lesbians reported they never engage in exercise in comparison to their urban-residing counterparts, with a greater percentage of urban-residing lesbians reporting frequent exercise. Rural lesbians were also more likely to report a diet high in protein.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest that current rather than past influences of rurality may have a significant impact on lesbians' weight and diet/exercise behaviors and highlight significant obesity-related health disparities for rural-residing lesbians. These findings offer support for the development of culturally-appropriate healthy diet/exercise and weight promotion efforts that are accessible to rural lesbians.
authors.affiliation: 1 Rural Health Research Institute, Georgia Southern University , Statesboro, Georgia .
authors.forename: K Nikki
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Barefoot
authors.affiliation: 2 Center for Rural Health and Health Disparities, Mercer University , Macon, Georgia .|3 Department of Community Medicine, Mercer University , Macon, Georgia .
authors.forename: Jacob C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.affiliation: 1 Rural Health Research Institute, Georgia Southern University , Statesboro, Georgia .|4 Department of Psychology, Georgia Southern University , Statesboro, Georgia .
authors.forename: K Bryant
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Smalley
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004032:Diet / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: diet; exercise; lesbian health; obesity; overweight; rurality