Amerin scientist: gays die younger than smokers

Contents:

• AMERIN SCIENTIST: GAYS DIE YOUNGER THAN SMOKERS
• JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS' KEV MAXEN IS FIRST AMERIN MALE PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
• YET ANOTHER STUDY CONFIRMS GAY LIFE EXPECTANCY 20 YEARS SHORTER
• GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN'S HEALTH

AMERIN SCIENTIST: GAYS DIE YOUNGER THAN SMOKERS

11 In addn, populatn-based surveys over the last have nsistently documented elevated risk for suici attempts among gay and bisexual men pared wh heterosexual men. Further, as relied on registered same-genr domtic partnership stat to intify gay and bisexual men, the earlier study did not acunt for the possible health benefs of livg wh a partner27 and th may have unrtimated mortaly risk for MSM general.

Th, timat om men livg admistratively documented partnerships likely reprent only a small segment of the gay and bisexual male one of the first natnal health data sets the Uned Stat to measure markers of sexual orientatn routely, the Natnal Health and Nutrn Examatn Survey s third eratn (NHANES III; 1988–1994) ially began s asssment of sexual orientatn wh a rtricted set of qutns pertag to lifetime histori of the genrs of rponnts’ sexual partners. Although suici-related aths were relatively rare the NHANES III sample (n =18), if they occurred among homosexually experienced men at the same rate reported the recent study of Danish men registered domtic partnerships, 24 would have been tectable the current study. 25 This discrepancy impli that generalizg fdgs om the current study to gay and bisexual-intified men, general, should be done wh some utn.

For example, several recent studi have reported higher rat of tobac e among gay and bisexual men than among heterosexual men. Routely llectg rmatn on markers of sexual orientatn health surveys likewise will facilate trackg the health of people wh mory sexual orientatn and will rce the impact of modifiable health threats that may be elevated among gay and bisexual men.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS' KEV MAXEN IS FIRST AMERIN MALE PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY

Physil health plats among lbians, gay men, and bisexual and homosexually experienced heterosexual dividuals: rults om the California Qualy of Life Survey.

Prevalence of mental disorrs, psychologil distrs, and mental health servic e among lbian, gay, and bisexual adults the Uned Stat. Smokg-related knowledge, attus and behavrs the lbian, gay and bisexual muny: a populatn-based study om the US Pacific Northwt. Over the past few months we have learnt of a number of reports regardg a paper we published the Internatnal Journal of Epimlogy on the gay and bisexual life expectancy Vanuver the late 1980s and early 1990s.

1 From the reports appears that our rearch is beg ed by select groups US2 and Fland3 to suggt that gay and bisexual men live an unhealthy liftyle that is stctive to themselv and to others.

YET ANOTHER STUDY CONFIRMS GAY LIFE EXPECTANCY 20 YEARS SHORTER

The homophobic groups appear more terted rtrictg the human rights of gay and bisexuals rather than promotg their health and well aim of our rearch was never to spread more homophobia, but to monstrate to an ternatnal dience how the life expectancy of gay and bisexual men n be timated om limed val statistics data. In our paper, we monstrated that a major Canadian centre, life expectancy at age 20 years for gay and bisexual men is 8 to 21 years ls than for all men.

GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN'S HEALTH

If the same pattern of mortaly ntued, we timated that nearly half of gay and bisexual men currently aged 20 years would not reach their 65th birthday. Unr even the most liberal assumptns, gay and bisexual men this urban centre were experiencg a life expectancy siar to that experienced by men Canada the year 1871. If timat of an dividual gay and bisexual man's risk of ath is tly need for legal or other purpos, then people makg the timat should e the same actuarial tabl that are ed for all other mal that populatn.

Gay and bisexual men are clud the nstctn of official populatn-based tabl and therefore the tabl for all mal are the appropriate on to be summary, the aim of our work was to assist health planners wh the means of timatg the impact of HIV fectn on groups, like gay and bisexual men, not necsarily ptured by val statistics data and not to hr the rights of the groups worldwi. Overall, we do not ndone the e of our rearch a manner that rtricts the polil or human rights of gay and bisexual men or any other group.

Unrstand important health issu for gay men and other men who have sex wh men, and get tips for matag good Mayo Clic Staff.