Tamara Thomas

AZUHT-PRODUCTIONwarmup

According to a study published in JAMA Network, lesbian and bisexual study participants died 20% and 37% earlier, respectively, than their heterosexual peers.
Several studies reveal that LGBTQ women experience worse physical, mental, and behavioral health than heterosexual women, which may lead to premature death. However, very few studies have investigated premature mortality disparities among this population.
For this study, Dr. Sarah McKetta, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School and lead author, analyzed how sexuality contributed to the premature deaths of over 116000 nurses. The data was obtained from the Nurses’ Health Study II, which began in 1989 and followed up through April 2022.
Among the eligible participants, about 90000 had valid sexual orientation data. Of these, 89821 (98.9%) identified as heterosexual, 694 (0.8%) identified as lesbian, and 318 (0.4%) identified as bisexual.
The study revealed that lesbian and bisexual women were more likely to die earlier than heterosexual women. On average, sexual minority women died 26% sooner. Specifically, lesbians faced a 20% increased risk of earlier death, while bisexual women were at a 37% increased risk.
“One of the advantages of this study is that we were able to separate out bisexual and lesbian participants because we had enough people and we followed them for long enough that we can actually look at those risks separately, which no other U.S. study has been able to do,” said Dr. McKetta.
Dr. Mcketta attributed the higher mortality rate in sexual minority women to the “various layers of discrimination and isolation that lesbian and bisexual women are exposed to on a daily basis.” She added that these ‘toxic social exposures’ contribute to damaging behaviors and negative mental and physical health outcomes, with bisexual women experiencing the greatest burden.
Furthermore, the researchers emphasize that these differences in lifespan highlight the urgent need to address modifiable risks and upstream social forces that contribute to these disparities in health outcomes.
“One of the things that I was worried about with this study is that the takeaway would be that it kills to be gay,” Dr. Mcketta said. “It doesn’t kill to be gay. It kills to be discriminated against. And that’s the lived experience of lesbian and gay women and bisexual women who are just trying to walk through the world.”
Source:<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-health-and-wellness/lesbian-bisexual-women-die-earlier-straight-women-decadeslong-study-fi-rcna151496"> NBC News</a>
Journal:<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2818061"> JAMA Network</a>

Abortion Laws Could Influence Oncologist Choice of Practice Location

Reproductive Health

Bisexual, Lesbian Women More Likely to Die Earlier than Heterosexual Women

Public Health

Rob Dillard

Risk Factors Associated With the Progression of Early-onset Atopic Dermatitis in Children

Eczema

Latest News

Dr. Mcketta attributed the higher mortality rate in sexual minority women to the various layers of discrimination

About Us

Editorial Policy

Contributors & Partners

eNewsletters

Contact Us

Work With Us

Advertising

GU Oncology Now

Blood Cancers Today

Cancer Nursing Today

DocWire News

MashupMD

Food Allergy Roundtable Discussions

Autoimmune Disease

Allergy

Blood Cancers

— Multiple Myeloma

Breast Cancer

Colorectal Cancer

Lung Cancer

Pancreatic Cancer

Prostate Cancer

Cancer

Diabetes

Heart Failure

Heart Disease Prevention

Heart Health

HIV Roundtable Discussions

COVID-19

Infectious Diseases

Asthma

COPD

Pulmonology

Digital Health

Workforce News

Dermatology

Gastroenterology

Kidney Disease

Neurology

Obesity

Pediatrics

Sickle Cell Disease

Eye Disease

Video Insights

More

Gynecologic Cancer

Heart Disease in Women

Menopause

Women’s Neurology

Well Woman Today

Roundtables

Podcasts

Conferences

Viewpoints

Career Center

Subscribe