Chubby Women Unite!

Chubby women unite! According to a new study from the National Survey of Family Growth (2002), women who had a higher body mass index (BMI) reported having sex with men more often than those women with a normal body mass index. Now we can throw that stereotype of chubby women being so worried about their bodies they refuse to have sex out the window. Researchers hailing from Hawaii and Oregon determined that the weight of a woman has no profound effect on her sexual behavior.

The study surveyed over 7,000 women of all sizes on their sexual behavior. The study was conducted by both Dr. Bliss Kaneshiro (who is now an assistant professor at the University of Hawaii) and her mentor Marie Harvey (a professor at Oregon State University with experience in women’s reproductive health). After researching several studies, Kaneshiro felt that many pointed to women who were considered overweight or obese based on their body mass index were more at risk of accidental pregnancies than women who were considered a normal weight.

Some studies have suggested that obese and overweight women have a higher risk of unintended pregnancy than do normal weight women, according to Kaneshiro. Of course, there could be any number of factors playing into this including sexual behavior, sexual frequency and the use of contraceptives and their efficiency. Kaneshiro, however, saw enough of a discrepancy amongst women of varying body mass indexes that she chose to zero in on this in her research. Her focus was on BMI and its relation to overall sexual activities, including age when sex was first had, sexual orientation, sexual frequency and number of sexual partners. Kaneshiro felt the link between BMI and sexual behavior was compelling enough to research because physicians may carry around a preconception about overweight and obese women that may affect how they counsel them on sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy and contraceptives.

Kaneshiro states, “Our analysis demonstrated that obese and overweight women do not differ significantly in some of the objective measures of sexual behavior compared to women of normal weight. This study indicates that all women deserve diligence in counseling on unintended pregnancy and STD prevention, regardless of body mass index.” Essentially, the stereotype that chubbier women do not have as much sexual activity as women of normal weight was demonstrated to be unfounded with Kaneshiro’s study. Harvey adds, “I was glad to see that the stereotype that you have to be slender to have sex is just that, a stereotype.”

The data from Kaneshiro’s research shows that while 87% of women with a BMI in the normal range reported having heterosexual sexual relationships, approximately 92% of women with a BMI in the overweight or obese category reported the same. Kaneshiro states, “These results were unexpected and we don’t really know why this is the case.” Harvey adds why she feels this research was important, “Some medical practitioners may not do appropriate follow-up with women who are overweight, they might assume they aren’t having sex unless they are told otherwise.”