Behavioral risk factors for disease and preventive health practices among lesbians

D. Aaron, N. Markovic, M. Danielson, J. Honnold, J. Janosky, N. Schmidt

Objectives: This study compared the prevalence of health behaviors among lesbians and in the general population of women. Methods: We used a cross-sectional community-based survey of 1010 self-identified lesbians 18 years or older. Results: Compared with the general population of women, lesbians were more likely to report cigarette use, alcohol use, and heavy alcohol use. A higher percentage of lesbians were categorized as overweight, and lesbians were more likely to participate in vigorous physical activity. They were less likely to report having had a Papanicolaou test within the past 2 years but more likely to report ever having had a mammogram. Conclusions: While there may be differences in health behaviors between lesbians and the general population of women, how these differences influence the risk of subsequent disease is unknown.