The Methodology Center, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.
Department of Human Development and Family Science, David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY.
Ann Epidemiol. 2019 Mar;31:20-25. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2019.01.001. Epub 2019 Jan 8.
Sexual minorities experience significant health disparities across a variety of mental, behavioral, and physical health indicators. Yet, an understanding of the etiology and progression of sexual minority health disparities across the lifespan is limited.
We used the U.S. National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions III to evaluate the association between sexual minority status and seven past-year health outcomes (alcohol use disorder, tobacco use disorder, drug use disorder, major depressive episode, generalized anxiety disorder, sexually transmitted infection, and cardiovascular conditions). To do this, we used unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression among our study sample (n = 30,999; aged 18-65 years) and time-varying effect models to evaluate how sexual orientation differences in these outcomes vary across adulthood.
Relative to heterosexuals, sexual minorities had elevated odds of past-year alcohol use disorder and drug use disorder across all ages (18-65 years) although the magnitude of the disparity varies by age. Sexual minorities were also more likely to experience major depressive episode, generalized anxiety disorder, tobacco use disorder, sexually transmitted infection, and cardiovascular disease, but only at specific ages.
Sexual minority health disparities vary appreciably across the adult lifespan, thus elucidating critical periods for focused prevention efforts.
性少数群体在各种心理健康、行为和身体健康指标方面都存在显著的健康差异。然而，对于性少数群体健康差异的病因和发展过程在整个生命周期中的了解是有限的。
我们使用了美国全国酒精和相关条件流行病学调查 III 来评估性少数群体身份与七种过去一年健康结果（酒精使用障碍、烟草使用障碍、药物使用障碍、重度抑郁发作、广泛性焦虑症、性传播感染和心血管疾病）之间的关联。为此，我们在研究样本（n=30999；年龄在 18-65 岁之间）中使用了未经调整和调整后的逻辑回归，并使用时变效应模型来评估这些结果在成年期的变化如何。
与异性恋者相比，性少数群体在所有年龄段（18-65 岁）都有更高的过去一年酒精使用障碍和药物使用障碍的可能性，尽管差异的程度因年龄而异。性少数群体也更有可能经历重度抑郁发作、广泛性焦虑症、烟草使用障碍、性传播感染和心血管疾病，但只在特定年龄出现。
性少数群体健康差异在成年期有很大的不同，因此需要阐明重点预防的关键时期。
