Health Disparities Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults in the U.S.

Previous studies suggest that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults experience worse health outcomes than do heterosexual adults, but most of these studies have been small or based on limited data. In this report, investigators used a national health survey with newly added questions about sexual orientation to compare health outcomes and risk factors among 525 lesbian, 624 gay, and 515 bisexual adults and 67,150 heterosexual counterparts. Mean age among respondents was 47. Gay and bisexual men had higher education levels than heterosexual men and were more likely to report unmet medical care needs. Lesbians had higher education and family income levels than did heterosexual women, whereas bisexual women were more likely than heterosexual…