Abstract
Young adult lesbian women are twice as likely to be overweight and obese as their heterosexual peers and
Black women are similarly more likely to be obese than White women. These minority women are thus more
prone to obesity-related comorbidities including heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, which are leading
causes of death in the U.S. Binge eating behaviors (overeating, loss of control of eating) contribute to obesity
and are particularly prevalent in young adult women. Despite well documented disparities in binge eating, little
is known about contributing factors in lesbian women, and in particular racial minorities. In studies of young
women where sexual orientation is not known, assessed, or reported (hereafter referred to as general
samples), research demonstrates binge eating is associated with affective states, social processes, and health
behaviors. Studies by our group and others using mobile technology-based ecological momentary assessment
(EMA) have examined how daily affective and social experiences influence young women's eating in everyday
life. These studies were conducted with general samples of primarily White women; how affective states, social
processes, and health behaviors in daily life impact lesbian women's binge eating remains unclear. Consistent
with minority stress theories, preliminary data also suggest sexual minority stress – or the stress people from
stigmatized groups are exposed to due to their marginalized social status – likely influences binge eating in
lesbian women, but the role of unique minority experiences in binge eating has not been examined using EMA.
Race, eating-related factors, and sexual minority-specific factors may also moderate daily associations, but
have not been fully explored. In particular, implications of having intersecting sexual- and racial-minority
identities (i.e., being a Black lesbian women) on binge eating have yet to be considered. To address these
limitations in the binge eating and sexual minority literatures, the proposed study examines affective, social,
health behavior, and sexual minority-specific factors associated with binge eating in natural settings. Young
adult lesbian (n=150, 50 Black) and heterosexual (n=150, 50 Black) women ages 18-30 who engage in binge
eating behavior will complete brief smartphone-based EMA surveys five times daily and in response to binge
behaviors for two weeks. Study aims include examining how daily affective, social, and health behavior factors
impact lesbian women's eating, and how sexual minority-specific experiences uniquely contribute to binge
eating in daily life. We will also explore how race moderates these associations. The EMA design allows
examination of daily processes in natural settings, and including racially diverse lesbian and heterosexual
women allows identification of factors that contribute to disparities. This study fills research gaps by expanding
understanding of general and sexual minority-specific factors that contribute to binge eating in daily life, and
the role of race in these associations. Such information is critical for informing the development of culturally
tailored interventions for lesbian women, with the ultimate goal of reducing binge eating and obesity disparities.
