UH professor is honored
Dr. Bliss Kaneshiro, University of Hawaii assistant professor, won first prize from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for a research paper on the impact of body mass index on sexual behavior.
Kaneshiro said some studies have indicated that obese and overweight women have a higher risk of unintended pregnancy than women of normal weight.
But she and co-researchers found in an analysis of the National Survey of Family Growth Cycle 6 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 (sexually transmitted disease) prevention, regardless of BMI," she said in a Medical News Today online report.
"The obesity epidemic in the United States has resulted in serious health consequences for many individuals and for the health-care system as a whole," she said. "Physicians of all specialties must factor body weight into their clinical decision-making process on a daily basis."