Body Image Concerns, Correlates, and Community Connection Among Black and Latinx Sexual Minority Cisgender Men and Transgender/Gender Nonconforming Young Adults.

ABSTRACT

AbstractPurpose: We extended the focus on body image research beyond cisgender, White sexual minority men (SMM) by describing body image concerns among Black and Latinx SMM and transgender/gender nonconforming (TGNC) adults and by examining protective effects of community connection. Methods: From 2016 to 2020, 447 Black and Latinx SMM (94%) and TGNC (6%) individuals in Los Angeles provided data semiannually. Participant endorsement of any body image concerns was determined by five body image codes (weight, fitness, appearance, body area dissatisfaction, and general body image) applied to participants' open-ended lists of health and body concerns. Fixed effects multivariable logistic regression was performed to examine the association between gay and racial/ethnic community connection and odds of any body image concerns, accounting for multiple records per person. An interaction term between gay and racial/ethnic community connection approximated the protective effect of connection to multiple, intersecting communities. Results: The majority of participants (51%) reported a body image concern, most commonly weight concerns, at least once across three years. Body image concerns were more common among Latinx participants (χ2 = 17.79, p < 0.001) and participants experiencing food insecurity (χ2 = 4.11, p = 0.04) and unmet basic financial needs (χ2 = 10.56, p = 0.001). Gay community connection was protective against body image concerns, but only for participants who had high racial/ethnic community connection (adjusted odds ratio = 0.87, p = 0.05). Conclusion: Body image concerns were notable, especially among those with low community connection and higher socioeconomic burden. These findings suggest that building connections within SMM/TGNC and racial/ethnic communities may aid in building a support network that buffers against body image concerns.