Abstract
While there have been attempts to explore the association of obesity and risky sexual behaviors among gay men, findings have been conflicting. Using a prospective cohort of gay and bisexual men residing in Pittsburgh, we performed a semi-parametric, group-based analysis to identify distinct groups of trajectories in body mass index slopes over time from 1999 to 2007 and then correlated these trajectories with a number of psychosocial and behavioral factors, including sexual behaviors. We found many men were either overweight (41.2%) or obese (10.9%) in 1999 and remained stable at these levels over time, in contrast to recent increasing trends in the general population. Correlates of obesity in our study replicated findings from the general population. However, we found no significant association between obesity and sexual risk-taking behaviors, as suggested from several cross-sectional studies of gay men. While there was not a significant association between obesity and sexual risk-taking behaviors, we found high prevalence of overweight and obesity in this population. Gay and bisexual men’s health researchers and practitioners need to look beyond HIV and STI prevention and also address a broader range of health concerns important to this population.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allensworth-Davies, D., Welles, S. L., Hellerstedt, W. L., & Ross, M. W. (2008). Body image, body satisfaction, and unsafe anal intercourse among men who have sex with men. Journal of Sex Research, 45, 49–56.
Bing, E. G., Hays, R. D., Jacobson, L. P., Chen, B., Gange, S. J., Kass, N. E., et al. (2000). Health-related quality of life among people with HIV disease: Results from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. Quality of Life Research, 9, 55–63.
Brown, T. T., Chu, H., Wang, Z., Palella, F. J., Kingsley, L., Witt, M. D., et al. (2007). Longitudinal increases in waist circumference are associated with HIV-serostatus, independent of antiretroviral therapy. AIDS, 21, 1731–1738.
Farinpour, R., Miller, E. N., Satz, P., Selnes, O. A., Cohen, B. A., Becker, J. T., et al. (2003). Psychosocial risk factors of HIV morbidity and mortality: Findings from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS). Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 25, 654–670.
Flegal, K. M., Carroll, M. D., Ogden, C. L., & Johnson, C. L. (2002). Prevalence and trends in obesity among US adults, 1999–2000. Journal of the American Medical Association, 288, 1723–1727.
Gay Men’s Health Crisis. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.gmhc.org/. Accessed 12 Oct 2011.
Kraft, C., Robinson, B. B., Nordstrom, D. L., Bockting, W. O., & Rosser, B. R. (2006). Obesity, body image, and unsafe sex in men who have sex with men. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 35, 587–595.
Mills, T. C., Paul, J., Stall, R., Pollack, L., Canchola, J., Chang, Y. J., et al. (2004). Distress and depression in men who have sex with men: The Urban Men’s Health Study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 161, 278–285.
Moskowitz, D. A., & Seal, D. W. (2010). Revisiting obesity and condom use in men who have sex with men. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39, 761–765.
Nagin, D. (1999). Analyzing developmental trajectories: A semi-parametric group-based approach. Psychological Methods, 4, 139–157.
Nagin, D. (2005). Group-based modeling of development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Curtin, L. R., McDowell, M. A., Tabak, C. J., & Flegal, K. M. (2006). Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States, 1999–2004. Journal of the American Medical Association, 295, 1549–1555.
Plankey, M. W., Ostrow, D. G., Stall, R., Cox, C., Li, X., Peck, J. A., et al. (2007). The relationship between methamphetamine and popper use and risk of HIV seroconversion in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 45, 85–92.
Raldoff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D Scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1, 385–401.
Raudenbush, S. W., & Bryk, A. S. (2002). Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Silvestre, A. J., Hylton, J. B., Johnson, L. M., Houston, C., Witt, M., Jacobson, L., et al. (2006). Recruiting minority men who have sex with men for HIV research: Results from a 4-city campaign. American Journal of Public Health, 96, 1020–1027.
Silvestre, A. J., Lyter, D. W., Rinaldo, C. R., Kingsley, L. A., Forrester, R., & Huggins, J. (1986). Marketing strategies for recruiting gay men into AIDS research and education projects. Journal of Community Health, 11, 222–232.
Stice, E., Presnell, K., Shaw, H., & Rohde, P. (2005). Psychological and behavioral risk factors for obesity onset in adolescent girls: A prospective study. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 195–202.
Vaidya, V. (2006). Psychosocial aspects of obesity. Advances in Psychosomatic Medicine, 27, 73–85.
Ware, J. E., & Sherbourne, C. D. (1992). The MOS 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Medical Care, 30, 473–483.
Acknowledgments
We thank the participants and staff of the Pitt Men’s Study, in particular, Carol Perfetti. The U.S. National Institutes of Health funded the following individuals: Thomas E. Guadamuz (DA022936), Sin How Lim (DA025952), Michael P. Marshal (AA015100), and Mark S. Friedman (MH080648).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Guadamuz, T.E., Lim, S.H., Marshal, M.P. et al. Sexual, Behavioral, and Quality of Life Characteristics of Healthy Weight, Overweight, and Obese Gay and Bisexual Men: Findings from a Prospective Cohort Study. Arch Sex Behav 41, 385–389 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-011-9859-5
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-011-9859-5