Stinchcombe Arne, Wilson Kimberley, Kortes-Miller Katherine, Chambers Lori, Weaver Bruce
Faculty of Human Sciences, Saint Paul University, 223 Main St, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 1C4, Canada.
School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Can J Public Health. 2018 Jul 12;109(5-6):833-44. doi: 10.17269/s41997-018-0100-3.
International estimates suggest the presence of health inequalities among older sexual minorities (i.e., individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual and are 65 years old or above). In this study, we investigated the presence of health inequalities among aging lesbian and bisexual females, as well as aging gay and bisexual males in Canada.
We used baseline data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) Tracking and Comprehensive cohorts to cross-sectionally compare self-reported physical and mental health indicators by sex and sexual orientation. Within our analysis sample of 51,208 Canadians 45 years old and over, 2% (n = 1057) of respondents identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual.
Compared to heterosexual female peers, lesbian and bisexual females had greater odds of heavy drinking (AOR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.3-2.4) and being a former smoker (AOR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.2-1.9). Gay and bisexual males had greater odds of reporting a diagnosis of cancer (AOR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.0-1.9) and currently smoking (AOR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.1-2.0), compared to heterosexual males. Female and male sexual minorities had greater odds of reporting mood disorders (including depression) and anxiety disorders relative to heterosexual peers of the same sex.
These findings highlight the importance of considering both sex and sexual orientation when developing approaches to support the physical and mental health of a diverse aging population in Canada.
国际评估表明老年性少数群体（即自我认同为女同性恋、男同性恋或双性恋且年龄在65岁及以上的个体）中存在健康不平等现象。在本研究中，我们调查了加拿大老年女同性恋和双性恋女性以及老年男同性恋和双性恋男性中健康不平等现象的存在情况。
我们使用了加拿大老龄化纵向研究（CLSA）追踪队列和综合队列的基线数据，按性别和性取向对自我报告的身心健康指标进行横断面比较。在我们45岁及以上的51208名加拿大分析样本中，2%（n = 1057）的受访者自我认同为女同性恋、男同性恋或双性恋。
与异性恋女性同龄人相比，女同性恋和双性恋女性大量饮酒（调整后比值比[AOR]=1.8，95%置信区间[CI]=1.3 - 2.4）和曾吸烟（AOR = 1.5，95% CI = 1.2 - 1.9）的几率更高。与异性恋男性相比，男同性恋和双性恋男性报告患癌症诊断（AOR = 1.5，95% CI = 1.0 - 1.9）和目前吸烟（AOR = 1.5，95% CI = 1.1 - 2.0）的几率更高。相对于同性别的异性恋同龄人，女性和男性性少数群体报告情绪障碍（包括抑郁症）和焦虑症的几率更高。
这些发现凸显了在制定支持加拿大多样化老年人群体身心健康的方法时，同时考虑性别和性取向的重要性。
