IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/aph/ajpbhl/2001914591-597_4.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cancer-related risk indicators and preventive screening behaviors among lesbians and bisexual women

Author

Listed:
  • Cochran, S.D.
  • Mays, V.M.
  • Bowen, D.
  • Gage, S.
  • Bybee, D.
  • Roberts, S.J.
  • Goldstein, R.S.
  • Robison, A.
  • Rankow, E.J.
  • White, J.

Abstract

Objectives. This study examined whether lesbians are at increased risk for certain cancers as a result of an accumulation of behavioral risk factors and difficulties in accessing health care. Methods. Prevalence estimates of behavioral risk factors (nulliparity, obesity, smoking, and alcohol use), cancer screening behaviors, and self-reported breast cancer histories derived from 7 independently conducted surveys of lesbians/bisexual women (n = 11 876) were compared with national estimates for women. Results. In comparison with adjusted estimates for the US female population, lesbians/bisexual women exhibited greater prevalence rates of obesity, alcohol use, and tobacco use and lower rates of parity and birth control pill use. These women were also less likely to have health insurance coverage or to have had a recent pelvic examination or mammogram. Self-reported histories of breast cancer, however, did not differ from adjusted US female population estimates. Conclusions. Lesbians and bisexual women differ from heterosexual women in patterns of health risk. These women would be expected to be at especially greater risk for chronic diseases linked to smoking and obesity.

Suggested Citation

  • Cochran, S.D. & Mays, V.M. & Bowen, D. & Gage, S. & Bybee, D. & Roberts, S.J. & Goldstein, R.S. & Robison, A. & Rankow, E.J. & White, J., 2001. "Cancer-related risk indicators and preventive screening behaviors among lesbians and bisexual women," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 91(4), pages 591-597.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:2001:91:4:591-597_4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    To our knowledge, this item is not available for download. To find whether it is available, there are three options:
    1. Check below whether another version of this item is available online.
    2. Check on the provider's web page whether it is in fact available.
    3. Perform a search for a similarly titled item that would be available.

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Everett, Bethany G. & Wall, Melanie & Shea, Eileen & Hughes, Tonda L., 2021. "Mortality risk among a sample of sexual minority women: A focus on the role of sexual identity disclosure," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).
    2. Alexa L. Solazzo & Bridget K. Gorman & Justin T. Denney, 2017. "Cancer Screening Utilization Among U.S. Women: How Mammogram and Pap Test Use Varies Among Heterosexual, Lesbian, and Bisexual Women," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 36(3), pages 357-377, June.
    3. Bridget Gorman & Justin Denney & Hilary Dowdy & Rose Medeiros, 2015. "A New Piece of the Puzzle: Sexual Orientation, Gender, and Physical Health Status," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(4), pages 1357-1382, August.
    4. Michael A. Ash & M.V. Lee Badgett, 2004. "Separate and Unequal: The Effect of Unequal Access to Employment-Based Health Insurance on Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual People," UMASS Amherst Economics Working Papers 2004-13, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Economics.
    5. Hughes, Tonda & Szalacha, Laura A. & McNair, Ruth, 2010. "Substance abuse and mental health disparities: Comparisons across sexual identity groups in a national sample of young Australian women," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(4), pages 824-831, August.
    6. Bethany G. Everett & Jarron Saint Onge & Stefanie Mollborn, 2016. "Effects of Minority Status and Perceived Discrimination on Mental Health," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 35(4), pages 445-469, August.
    7. Agénor, Madina & Krieger, Nancy & Austin, S. Bryn & Haneuse, Sebastien & Gottlieb, Barbara R., 2014. "At the intersection of sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and cervical cancer screening: Assessing Pap test use disparities by sex of sexual partners among black, Latina, and white U.S. women," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 110-118.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:2001:91:4:591-597_4. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Christopher F Baum (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.apha.org .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.