Welcome!
Over the past three decades, a growing cadre of scientists has painstakingly built the knowledge base around LGBT health concerns. It is now widely acknowledged that sexual and gender minority groups experience health disparities as a result of multiple socio-cultural factors. Studies have shown that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender populations have higher prevalence of life-threatening physical and mental health conditions, experience barriers to health care access, and face substantial threats to quality of life.
The Center for Population Research in LGBT Health supports and stimulates research to fill critical knowledge gaps related to the health of sexual and gender minorities, strengthening the foundation for culturally competent treatment and behavior change models. Our scientific vision is to create an infrastructure that will support the collaborative work of LGBT health researchers and integrate intellectual and methodological expertise in the interdisciplinary fields of LGBT health and population research. We aim for a synergistic increase in productivity as a result. The Center supports the work of collaborating scientists and partner organizations by creating opportunities to meet and plan further research, formalizing a mentorship process for junior scientists, making datasets available for further studies, and creating a platform for ongoing communication and shared projects among the group.
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2000 US Census: Same-Sex Couples in 93% of US Counties
The 2000 Census identified nearly 600,000 households headed by same-sex couples in nearly all (93%) U.S. counties. This represents a sizeable increase in the number and geographic distribution of same-sex headed households identified in 1990. (more)
Gay Men Smoke Cigarettes at Higher Rates
In a 1992 sample of 2593 adult gay men in two cities, 48% reported currently smoking cigarettes. This was close to double the percentage of all men who report currently smoking nationwide (28.6%). Among gay men, frequent attendance at gay bars, HIV seropositivity, and lower socioeconomic status were positively correlated with tobacco use. (more)
Gay and Bisexual Men Have Higher Rates of Disordered Eating
Confirming results of several other studies, this recent study showed that gay/bisexual men have significantly higher symptoms indicative of eating disorders as compared to heterosexual men. In this study, no significant differences were observed between rates of eating disorders in lesbian/bisexual women and heterosexual women, or between diverse ethnic minorities. (more)
HIV+ Transgender Women Less Likely to Receive Anti-Retroviral Therapy
A study comparing 59 HIV-positive male-to-female (MTF) transgender persons with a control group of 300 non-transgender HIV positive persons found that fewer in the MTF sample were receiving highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART). Only 59% of the MTF sample reported current use of HAART compared with 82% of the control group.
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Sexual Minority Women More Likely to Binge Drink
A recent analysis of the California Women's Health Survey compared alcohol use in homosexually experienced and exclusively heterosexually experienced women. Women with at least one lifetime female sexual partner reported drinking alcohol with greater frequency and in greater quantity than women who exclusively had male sexual partners.
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Age of First Anal Intercourse Dropping Among MSM
Recent evidence suggests that men who have sex with men (MSM) are initiating anal intercourse at earlier ages. A Swiss study reveled that the mean age at first anal intercourse fell from 24.5 years among men born before 1965 to 20.0 years among men born between 1975 and 1984. The study also found that younger cohorts of MSM have been initiating anal intercourse with increasingly older partners. (more)
Older Gay and Bisexual HIV+ Men More Likely to Be Abstinent
In one recent study of HIV+ men aged 50 and older, twice as many gay and bisexual (GB) men reported sexual abstinence compared to HIV+ heterosexual men. However, among the sexually active HIV+ men, GB men were more likely to report irregular condom use compared to their heterosexual counterparts. (more)
Lesbians Have Lower Rates of Cancer Screening, Higher Risks
Research evidence from a three city community cancer project shows that lesbian women have higher behavior risk factors for cervical cancer including early onset of sexual activity, more sexual partners, and lower rates of safe sexual practices. The study also found that lesbian women reported less frequent gynecological cancer screening than their heterosexual counterparts. (more)
LGBs More Likely to Experience Discrimination
Research on harassment and discrimination has found that 42% of lesbian/bisexual women and 44% of gay/bisexual men perceived being discriminated against on a day-to-day basis (either "sometimes" or "often") compared to 30% of heterosexual women and 29% of heterosexual men. Furthermore, 42% of sexual minority individuals associated their sexual orientation as the source of the discrimination. (more)
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