Dietary behaviors of lesbians, gay men and bisexual adults

Background: Lesbians have been reported to have a higher prevalence of obesity than heterosexual women, while gay men have a lower rate of obesity than heterosexual men. Differences in level of physical activity, alcohol use and smoking do not explain the variation in weight status. We assessed the dietary behaviors and weight status of gay, lesbian and bisexual men and women.

Methods: We used data from the 2007 California Health Interview Survey, a population-based survey of non-institutionalized adults in California (n=40,486). We examined respondents' consumption of soda/other sugar sweetened beverages, fast food, and fruits and vegetables as well as their weight status by sexual orientation and stratified by gender. In multivariate logistic regression models we controlled for age, race/ethnicity, education, household income, neighborhood income, family status, work status, and the food environment.

Results: Lesbians and bisexual women had higher odds of being obese, while gay men were less likely to be obese than their heterosexual counterparts. Lesbians were more likely while gay men were less likely to consume soda/other sugar sweetened beverages and fast food than heterosexual women and men.

Conclusions: The variation in healthier versus unhealthy dietary behaviors may contribute to the differences in obesity prevalence and risk for gay men, lesbians and bisexual men and women. Dietary counseling by health care providers may help to reduce the risk for obesity and related chronic conditions among lesbians.