Obesity and sexual health

6.1

Sexual behaviour

National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (2011) reported that:

• 1.

  Obese white adolescent girls:

  • a.

    were more likely than nonobese girls to have a partner at least three years older;

  • b.

    more likely to have more than three sexual partners in 1 year; and

  • c.

    and less likely to use condoms during their most recent sexual encounter.

• 2.

  Obese girls were also at higher odds of having coital debut before the age of 13.

• 3.

  These differences were not present among black adolescent obese females.

The French National Survey (Contexte de la Sexualite en France 2005/06) reported that:

• 1.

  Obese women were 30% less likely to report having a sexual partner in the past 12 months.

• 2.

  Obese women were less likely to have an occasional sex partner.

• 3.

  However, among women with a sexual partner, there was no difference in the frequency of sexual intercourse by BMI.

• 4.

  Obese women were more likely to have met a sexual partner through the internet than women of normal weight.

• 5.

  The authors of the paper suggested that women with obesity might find it more difficult to attract a sexual partner and/or that they can establish a rapport with a potential partner while at the same time concealing their weight.

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from the United States:

• 1.

  This survey was conducted using computer-assisted self-interview.

• 2.

  In this survey, individuals who were overweight or with obesity reported fewer sex partners than individuals of normal weight.

• 3.

  18% of the male and 28% of the female respondents who reported no lifetime sex partners ever tested positive for antibodies to Herpes simplex type 2 that was used as a serological marker of sexual exposure.

6.2