Previous and current influence of rural living on lesbians' risks for overweight and obesity

Purpose: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 2x2 (location x background) ANCOVA was conducted to explore influences of rurality on 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: Even when controlling for age, race, and education, a significant main effect of rural location on BMI emerged. 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 (M = 30.61) had higher BMIs and were more likely to be obese 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 that they never engage in exercise; with a greater percentage of urban-residing lesbians reporting frequent exercise.  Rural lesbians were also more likely to report a diet high in protein.

 Conclusion: 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.