Psychological Distress, Drinking and Smoking Common among Gay and Bisexual Americans: CDC

Study reveals health disparities in people with different sexual orientations.

The experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed health statuses of 35,000 adults in 2013 and also asked the participants to specify their sexual orientation. Nearly 96.6 percent of the respondents identified themselves as straight, 1.6 percent said they were either gay or lesbian and 0.7 percent referred was bisexuals. The rest 1.1 did not mention about sexual inclination.

The survey results found over 35 and 41 percent of the individuals who were gay or lesbian and bisexuals reportedly consumed more than five drinks daily since the last one year. Only 26 percent of the heterosexual subjects indulged in heavy drinking at least once in the past year. The findings also noted a large number of homosexual and bisexual participants had chronic smoking addiction and also suffered from psychological distress in the last one month, reports the Live Science News.

However, the agency experts did not record any significant variations in the physical activity levels or health conditions of individuals based on their sexual orientation. Yet, 63 percent of heterosexual women seemed healthier compared to 54 percent of lesbian or bisexual women.

The CDC officials believe this study is important in understanding health risk and unhealthy behaviors that are related to one's sexual preferences. In addition, they found wide differences in access to health and medical facilities between both groups. Straight participants mostly confessed they would not seek medical attention because of high cost.

Sexual minorities have increased susceptibility for diseases and deadly health conditions caused by their lifestyle practices and behaviors. The lack of access to health facilities and fear of social stigma and pressure further worsens the overall health and well-being in this set of population.

"There's certainly a lot of social stress for people who are living in places where they are being treated unequally based on their sexual orientation. We also definitely have unequal access to health care benefits, for people who are living in places where health care benefits are not translated to same-sex spouses," said Kari Greene, co-author and researcher at the Oregon Health Authority, reports the Live Science News.