Project 466672

Non-heterosexual women who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or queer (i,e., sexual minority women) experience worse physical and mental health, compared to their heterosexual counterparts. In alignment with minority stress models and the tenets of intersectionality, individuals who embody multiple marginalized identities, such as higher-weight sexual minority women, experience multiplicative forms of stigma, discrimination, and systemic oppression related to their weight, gender, and sexuality. Collectively, social stigmatization against these marginalized identities are associated with worsened health outcomes. A recent review reported that sexual minority women exhibit the lowest levels of physical activity behaviour, compared to other sexual minority groups. These disproportionately low rates of physical activity are problematic given the health-protecting effects of physical activity has on reducing risk factors for physical and mental health conditions. To date, no research has examined the unique barriers higher-weight sexual minority women experience in physical activity participation, and limited resources exist to support these communities. The objective of this research is to employ a participatory action research approach, guided by the Knowledge-to-Action framework, to co-develop, disseminate, and evaluate inclusive physical activity resources for higher-weight sexual minority women. The development of inclusive resources that centre individuals with lived experience have the potential to lead to greater and more sustained physical activity participation in the long-term, and thereby contribute to the reduction of health disparities for sexual minority women.