News :: GLBT
Australian Study: Lesbians At Higher Health Riskby Kilian MelloyThursday Nov 8, 2007 A report by the Western Australian Centre for Health Promotion Research indicates that lesbians and bisexual women may be at risk of poorer health than their heterosexual counterparts.
The reasons cited by the http://wachpr.curtin.edu.au/downloads/reports/51949LBWHWBSFinalReport.pdf include relatively poor diet, lack of exercise, higher rates of smoking and recreational drug use.
But other factors play a part as well, including higher instances of verbal and physical abuse, a greater sense of isolation, and higher rates of depression.
Perth Now posted an article about the report today, and quoted associate researcher Jude Comfort, who addressed the higher rate of drinking among lesbians and bisexual women. About a third of those demographics drank to excess, as determined by Australian national guidelines.
Said Comfort, "We’re talking about a group that socializes in a different way, around pubs and clubs."
The overall results of the study showed immoderate dietary patterns (more fast food and less fresh vegetables), a relatively low rate of regular medical checkups (just under 10 percent said they were "uncomfortable accessing [medical] service as the result of their sexuality" with another approximately ten percent feeling uneasy about seeking he services of counselors or psychologists; two out of five study participants had never been tested for STDs; study group participants also lagged behind the general population for Pap smears by about 4 percent), and riskier sexual behavior, suggesting a more general underlying cause.
Said Comfort, "I would suggest one of the biggest issues is the marginalization of lesbian women."
Comfort referred to internalized homophobia, defining it as a matter of "whether they are happy with their own sexuality, or if they give themselves a hard time over it."
Added Comfort, "There are issues of self-esteem."
The report reads, in part, "Over a third of participants (38.2 percent) had experienced sexuality-related verbal or physical abuse in the last three years."
Continued the report, "Just under one third of participants (28.9 percent) had experienced physical violence at some point in a relationship, and nearly half (47.6 percent) had experienced some form of emotional abuse."
Around a third of bisexual and lesbian women were found by the report to have been diagnosed as suffering from depression (as compared to just under 23 percent of women in the general population); twenty percent had been diagnosed with mental health issues such as anxiety or stress-related issues; 20 percent were overweight, with another 23 percent being medically classified as obese.
"It could be argued that sexual orientation is a social determinant of health," said Comfort, "yet there are few targeted programs [in the Australian health system] which deal with general healthy lifestyle issues with this population."
Added Comfort, "Obviously there are lesbians who are healthy, but taking the results as a whole, the figures are alarming."
Kilian Melloy reviews media, conducts interviews, and writes commentary for EDGEBoston, where he also serves as Assistant Arts Editor.
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