Lesbian, gay, and bisexual people are more likely to smoke, drink excessively, and experience serious psychological distress compared with heterosexual people according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report marks the first time that the CDC has looked at health disparities among lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations on a national level. CDC researchers recently added an option for people participating in the agency's National Health Interview Survey to indicate their sexual orientation. The survey, conducted in 2013, included nearly 35,000 adults. Among the participants, 96.6% identified themselves as straight, while 1.6% identified as gay or lesbian, and 0.7% identified as bisexual. The remaining 1.1% didn't select any of the options. The researchers found that a higher percentage of gay or lesbian (35.1%) and bisexual people (41.5%) said they had five or more drinks on one day at least once in the past year, compared with those who identified themselves as straight (26%). Similarly, a higher percentage of gay, lesbian and bisexual people reported being smokers, compared with straight participants. A higher percentage of bisexual people (11%) experienced serious psychological distress in the past 30 days, compared with their counterparts who identified as straight (3.9%).
Link to study: