The Health of Aging Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Adults in California

Examines rates of diabetes, hypertension, poor mental health, physical disability, and fair or poor self-reported health status among homosexual adults ages 50 to 70 compared with their heterosexual peers. Recommends enhancing policies and practices

Am J Public Health

ObjectivesWe used population-based data to comprehensively examine disability among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults.MethodsWe estimated prevalence of disability and its covariates and compared by sexual orientation by utilizing data from the Washington State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (n=82531) collected in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009. We used multivariate logistic regression to examine the relationship between disability and sexual orientation, after we controlled for covariates of disability.ResultsFindings indicated that the prevalence of disability is higher among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults compared with their heterosexual counterparts; lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults with disabilities are significantly younger than heterosexual adults with disabilities. Higher disability prevalence among lesbians and among bisexual women and men remained significant after we controlled for covariates of disability.ConclusionsHigher rates of disability among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults are of major concern. Efforts are needed to prevent, delay, and reduce disabilities as well as to improve the quality of life for lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults with disabilities. Future prevention and intervention efforts need to address the unique concerns of these groups.R01 AG026526/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United StatesR01 AG026526/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United StatesU58/CCU002118-17/PHS HHS/United StatesU58/CCU022819-1/PHS HHS/United StatesU58/CCU022819-2/PHS HHS/United StatesU58/CCU022819-3/PHS HHS/United StatesU58/CCU022819-4/PHS HHS/United StatesU58/CCU022819-5/PHS HHS/United StatesU58/DP001996-1/DP/NCCDPHP CDC HHS/United States2013-09-03T00:00:00Z22095356PMC349055

Prev Chronic Dis

IntroductionResearch is needed on chronic health conditions among lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations. The objective of this study was to examine 10 diagnosed chronic conditions, and multiple (\ue2\u2030\ua52) chronic conditions (MCC), by sexual orientation among US adults.MethodsThe 2013 National Health Interview Survey was used to generate age-adjusted prevalence rates and adjusted odds ratios of diagnosed chronic conditions and MCC for civilian, noninstitutionalized US adults who identified as gay/lesbian, straight, or bisexual, and separately for men and women. Chronic conditions were selected for this study on the basis of previous research.ResultsHypertension and arthritis were the most prevalent conditions for all groups. Gay/lesbian adults had a 4.7 percentage-point higher prevalence of cancer than bisexual adults, and a 5.6 percentage-point higher prevalence of arthritis and a 2.9 percentage point higher prevalence of hepatitis than straight adults. The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was 8.1 percentage points higher among bisexual adults than among gay/lesbian adults and 7.0 percentage points higher than among straight adults. These differences remained in the multivariate analyses. Additional differences were found in the sex-stratified analyses. No significant differences were found in MCC by sexual orientation.ConclusionAfter age adjustment and controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, only a few significant health disparities for diagnosed chronic conditions were found by sexual orientation, and none for MCC. However, for conditions where differences were found, magnitudes were relatively large. Further examination of these differences among gay/lesbian and bisexual adults could yield a better understanding of why these disparities exist.26542144PMC465115

Invisible Majority: The Disparities Facing Bisexual People and How to Remedy Them

During the past decade, the United States has witnessed growing understanding and acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and increased legal protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Rarely, however, have the experiences and lives of bisexual people, who comprise more than half of the entire LGBT community, been explicitly considered in the social or legal narrative. Rather, bisexual people are frequently swept into the greater lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) community, their specific disparities made invisible within data about the LGB community as a whole.Invisible Majority: The Disparities Facing Bisexual People and How to Remedy Them focuses on the "invisible majority" of the LGBT community, the nearly five million adults in the U.S. who identify as bisexual and the millions more who have sexual or romantic attraction to or contact with people of more than one gender. The report provides an overview of current research so we can better understand those who comprise the largest share of the LGB population. It also examines how bias, stigma, discrimination, and invisibility combine to create serious negative outcomes for bisexual people, and it provides concrete recommendations for change. Finally, sidebars throughout the report highlight the lived experiences of bisexual people—and the pervasive discrimination and key disparities they face

Depression and Oral FTC/TDF Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Among Men and Transgender Women Who Have Sex With Men (MSM/TGW).

We conducted a longitudinal and cross-sectional analysis of depressive symptomology in iPrEx, a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of daily, oral FTC/TDF HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in men and transgender women who have sex with men. Depression-related adverse events (AEs) were the most frequently reported severe or life-threatening AEs and were not associated with being randomized to the FTC/TDF arm (152 vs. 144 respectively OR 0.66 95 % CI 0.35-1.25). Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D) and a four questions suicidal ideation scale scores did not differ by arm. Participants reporting forced sex at anal sexual debut had higher CES-D scores (coeff: 3.23; 95 % CI 1.24-5.23) and were more likely to have suicidal ideation (OR 2.2; 95 % CI 1.09-4.26). CES-D scores were higher among people reporting non-condom receptive anal intercourse (ncRAI) (OR 1.46; 95 % CI 1.09-1.94). We recommend continuing PrEP during periods of depression in conjunction with provision of mental health services

Addressing Trauma Among Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Boys of Color

A growing body of research reveals that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people experience a disproportionate amount of mental health challenges when compared with those who are heterosexual and cisgender. LGBTQ people, in general, have a higher prevalence of suicidal thoughts, attempts, and completions (Hatzenbuehler, 2011); depression and anxiety (Cochran, Sullivan, & Mays, 2003), and substance use and abuse (Marshal et al., 2008). LGBTQ people are more likely than heterosexual or cisgender people to have histories of childhood sexual abuse (Balsam, Lehavot, Beadnell, & Circo, 2010) and are more likely to be homeless (Rosario, Schrimshaw, & Hunter, 2012).This is true of young LGBTQ people as well. Studies find that young adults under 24 years of age who identify as LGBTQ, have a higher likelihood of depression and suicide than heterosexual youth (Marshal et al., 2013), are more likely to engage in self-harming behaviors (Jiang et al., 2010), and have increased rates of being a victim of bullying (Berlan, Corliss, Field, Goodman, & Austin, 2010) than their heterosexual counterparts

Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults’ Experiences with Supportive Religious Groups

This qualitative research study was designed to explore lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) young adults’ views about how being a member of supportive and affirming religious places of worship and social groups influenced their self-acceptance, as well as their ability to integrate their religious and sexual minority identities. In this study, six in-person interviews were completed with participants who (a) were 18-24 years old; (b) identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual; (c) were members of supportive Jewish and Christian religious groups; and (d) identified as cisgender. The data from the interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis to tell cohesive stories about the perceptions of LGB young adults on the influence of supportive religious group membership. I found that all six participants reported that finding their religious supportive groups had a significant positive impact on their ability to integrate their religious and sexual identities. All six participants also reported that being a member of the affirming religious group allowed them to keep their identity, overall, as a unified whole. The results of my study have positive implications for clinicians working with the LGB population, parents of LGB people, friends of LGB people, LGB advocacy work within the religious community, and for religious groups and places of worship who want to increase membership of minority individuals

The association of sexual orientation with allostatic load and cardiovascular health: An analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an important health problem among sexual minorities given increased stress, according to minority stress theory. Allostatic load (AL), a measure of chronic wear and tear on the body's systems physiological regulation, may be higher among sexual minorities, who also exhibit increased risk factors for cardiovascular disease. We examined the relationship between AL and cardiovascular health (CVH) according to sexual orientation. Methods: We used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2008 cycles to examine the relationship between sexual orientation, AL, and CVH. We categorized participants as straight/heterosexual, gay/lesbian, bisexual, or homosexually experienced, according to their sexual orientation. AL was defined based on ten biomarkers and CVH was quantified using the American Heart Association's (AHA) Life's Simple 7 ideal health score in addition to the use of self-reported medical diagnoses. Logistic regressions were used to estimate odds ratios and 95% CIs for associations between sexual orientation and AL, CVH, and self-reported CVD. Results: Sexual identity was not associated with AL or self-reported CVD among the population included in the analysis but was significantly associated with worse American Heart Association Simple 7 CVH scores among sexual minority females. Conclusion: Sexual minority females have elevated CVD risk factors, yet do not have increased rates of CVD diagnoses, which is not fully understood. The findings indicate the importance of continued research of health behaviors, biomarkers, and sociocultural stressors among sexual minority individuals. More research is needed to fully illuminate the mechanism between sexual minority status and the development of chronic disease.The Ohio State University College of Public HealthThe Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research GrantNo embargoAcademic Major: Public HealthAcademic Major: Spanis