Food Insecurity, Nutritional Vulnerability, and Diet-Related Health Inequities in LGBTQIA+ Populations

Food and nutrition research is increasingly recognizing the profound impact of social determinants on health, with marginalized populations experiencing disproportionate burdens of food insecurity and nutritional vulnerability. LGBTQIA+ individuals face unique challenges due to intersecting stigma, discrimination, and socioeconomic barriers, which can influence dietary behaviors, limit access to adequate nutrition, and exacerbate health inequities. Recent studies highlight not only the heightened prevalence of food insecurity within LGBTQIA+ communities, but also underscore the association between these challenges and increased risk of diet-related conditions such as malnutrition, obesity, diabetes, and mental health disorders. However, there remains a substantial gap in population-based nutritional research that centers the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people, including how identity, minority stress, and systemic inequities interact to shape food access and health outcomes.

This Research Topic aims to drive interdisciplinary exploration and critical analysis of the nutritional status and diet-related health challenges facing LGBTQIA+ populations worldwide. Key objectives include elucidating mechanisms linking food insecurity, dietary quality, and health, identifying social, structural, and policy factors associated with these inequities, and fostering evidence to inform interventions and equitable food policy. We particularly encourage submissions that adopt an intersectional lens, considering, for example, how migration status, ethnicity, age, poverty, and healthcare accessibility may compound nutritional risk among LGBTQIA+ individuals. Research questions may include: What are the rates and drivers of malnutrition in sexual and gender diverse communities? How does structural discrimination shape food environments? What interventions are most effective in improving nutrition security for these groups?

To gather further insights within human-focused nutrition research, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

o Prevalence and correlates of food insecurity in LGBTQIA+ populations

o Diet quality, eating behaviors, and nutritional status disparities

o Impact of stigma, discrimination, and mental health on nutrition

o Community-driven and policy interventions to address nutrition inequities

o Intersectional social, cultural, and economic determinants of dietary health

o Experiences of malnutrition or chronic disease linked to nutrition insecurity

o Access to healthcare, social support, and food assistance programs

o Qualitative and quantitative research on lived experiences and barriers to healthy eating

We welcome original research articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, clinical trials, community-based intervention studies, brief research reports, perspectives, policy briefs, case studies, methods papers, qualitative and mixed-methods research, and opinion pieces.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Registered Report
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: LGBTQIA+, food insecurity, nutrition security, nutritional vulnerability, diet quality, nutrition inequities, health disparities, minority stress, intersectionality, malnutrition, food access, eating behaviors, nutritional epidemiology, food policy

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.