LESBIANS AND BISEXUAL WOMEN LAG BEHIND IN RECEIVING ADEQUATE CERVICAL CANCER SCREENINGS

 

 

Sarah Peitzmeier, MSPH

Clinical data specialist 

Fenway Institute

 

 

LESBIANS AND BISEXUAL WOMEN LAG BEHIND HETEROSEXUAL WOMEN IN RECEIVING ADEQUATE CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING, DESPITE BEING EQUALLY AT RISK FOR CERVICAL CANCER 

Lesbians and bisexual women are as likely as heterosexual women to develop cervical cancer, but are up to 10 times less likely to be regularly screened for it, putting them at greater risk of the potentially deadly disease, according to a policy brief released by The Fenway Institute. This disparity is due to a misconception that sexual minority women are not at risk for cervical cancer as well as their broader marginalization in the health care system.

Yearly, over 12,000 American women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and over 4,000 die from the disease. The majority of cervical cancers in the US occur among women who have never been screened or who were not screened within the past five or more years. This is bad news for lesbians and bisexual women, who are less likely to undergo routine screening for cervical cancer. The vast majority of cervical cancers are caused by a human papilloma virus (HPV) infection, and many sexual minority women – and their healthcare providers – are under the misperception that HPV cannot be passed between women during sex. In fact, because HPV passes through skin-to-skin genital, as well as potentially through oral-vaginal and digital-vaginal contact, even women who exclusively have sex with women are at risk for contracting the virus, and by extension, cervical cancer. Multiple studies have shown that lesbians and bisexual women are just as likely as heterosexual women to have HPV and cervical abnormalities that could potentially lead to cancer if unchecked.

Current guidelines recommend that screening start for all women at age 21, regardless of HPV vaccination or age of sexual debut, and continue every three years until age 29; the screening interval may be lengthened to every five years for women ages 30-65 if HPV co-testing is done in addition to the Pap test.  Women with a history of a prior abnormal Pap test or who are immune compromised (e.g. by HIV) should be screened yearly.

The brief concludes with a set of policy recommendations, including:

• –Promote routine cervical cancer screening for lesbians and bisexual women through patient in-reach and community outreach with sexual minority-specific messaging, wording, and peer education;
• –Increase training for clinicians in the reproductive health needs of sexual minority populations, including the need for regular cervical cancer screening among women who have sex with women;
• –Promote HPV vaccination as a primary prevention strategy among lesbians and bisexual women;
• –Include transgender men (individuals born with female reproductive organs but who identify as male, many of whom still retain a cervix if a total hysterectomy is not performed) in cervical cancer screening programs;
• –Collect sexual orientation and gender identity data in cancer registries, patient medical records, and health surveys to better understand the burden of cervical cancer and cancer screening practices among this population.

“Lesbian and bisexual women experience a number of health disparities,” said Stephen Boswell, MD, President and CEO of Fenway Health. “The Affordable Care Act’s expansion of health care access and efforts by the federal government to increase clinical competency in LGBT health care offer opportunities to reduce the disparity we see in cervical cancer screening.”

A PDF of the cervical cancer screening policy brief is available online at www.fenwayhealth.org/cervicalcancerfocus.  

DO Ask Do Tell: St. Louis Veterans Hospitals initiate LGBT cultural competency training program

 

Sherrill Wayland, MSW
SAGE: Services & Advocacy for LGBT Elders

Metro St. Louis

 

 

 

Five years ago when SAGE Metro St. Louis first started providing outreach and trainings, the Veterans Administration (VA) St. Louis Health Care System was one of the last places we expected to be. Fast forward to 2013 and we find the VA St. Louis Health Care System as one of the leaders in creating LGBT welcoming health care in Missouri.

In 2012, the VA St. Louis Health Care System held the first ever St. Louis Veterans PRIDE Celebration. A standing room only crowd of Veterans and employees packed the room to hear a panel discussion, in which SAGE Metro St. Louis participated. At this meeting, SAGE extended a welcome to the employees to have a representative join the Missouri LGBT Health Roundtable, as a part of the Missouri LGBT Health Access Project. In turn, SAGE was asked to join the VA St. Louis Health Care Systems, LGBT Advisory Council as an ad hoc committee member.

Over the years, SAGE has received calls from LGBT Veterans, fearful that they would not receive care from the VA if their LGBT status was known during the time when “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was in force. We also field calls from LGBT Veterans who feel they have been treated in a discriminatory or unwelcoming fashion. Today, we have a direct linkage to the VA St. Louis Health Care System that allows us to assist LGBT Veterans with gaining welcoming care in an environment that truly honors ALL Veterans.

Over the past year, the work at the VA St. Louis has grown to include a robust offering of LGBT Health Cultural Competency Trainings provided by VA St. Louis employees and SAGE. We are currently in the process of developing a schedule of trainings for SAGE to present on a monthly basis.

With the commitment and dedication of the St. Louis VA staff, LGBT Veterans health care and access is a priority. SAGE Metro St. Louis will honor the St. Louis Veterans Administration on June 1, 2013 with the first annual “SAGE Community Cares” Award for excellence in service to the LGBT community.

The groundwork established in partnership with the VA is invaluable as we begin moving forward with sustainable policy change initiatives that will positively impact our LGBT Veterans. Like many we understand the value in building partnerships to advance our movements, and while addressing the LGBT Veterans is mandated by the federal government, having a strategic partnership established will serve as a cornerstone in advancing LGBT health inclusion efforts at both VA hospitals in St. Louis.

“Our LBGT program includes comprehensive care and ongoing education of staff and health care providers about the unique healthcare concerns of our LGBT Veteran community. We believe all staff who are knowledgeable about the health care concerns of our LGBT Veterans are better able to serve our diverse Veteran population. As the Deputy Director of the VA St. Louis Health Care System,  I am extremely proud of the commitment our providers have shown to our diverse (Veteran) patient and employee population.”      - Marc Magill, Deputy Director

Upcoming Webinar: The LGBTQ community and Cancer- Health Equality in the Era of the ACA

 

 

Francisco O. Buchting, Ph.D.

Buchting Consulting – Principal

Steering Committee Member

 

 

 

 

The LGBTQ community and Cancer- Health Equality in the Era of the ACA

Monday April 15, 2013 (11am Pacific) 2:00-3:30 PM EST

April is National Minority Health Month, and to celebrate,  join us April 15th as we discuss the importance of understanding the impact of Cancer in the LGBTQ community and the role of
the ACA in providing more equity in health.
We will try to significantly raise your awareness to the distinct challenges of eliminating
health disparities and promoting health equity among the LGBTQ community and the
effective efforts to improve the health of these diverse communities across the cancer
continuum

Speakers:

To register for this meeting:

1. Go to https://premconf.webex.com/premconf/j.php?ED=204747812&RG=1&UID=0&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D

2. Register for the meeting.

Once the host approves your request, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the meeting. To view in other time zones or languages, please click the link: https://premconf.webex.com/premconf/j.php?ED=204746377&RG=1&UID=0&ORT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D

For assistance: 1. Go to https://premconf.webex.com/premconf/mc 2. On the left navigation bar, click “Support”. You can contact: lisa.oliver@cancer.org

To participate only in the audio portion:  Call-in toll-free number (Premiere): 1-888-757-2790 Call-in number (Premiere): 1-719-359-9722 Attendee access code: 329671

Voices of Health: Seeing LGBTQ health in Minnesota

 

 

Sheila Nezhad

Research & Education Manager

Rainbow Health Initiative

Voices of Health: Seeing LGBTQ health in Minnesota

 

In March, 2013, Rainbow Health Initiative released a landmark report that outlined the results of a health survey of 1,144 LGBTQ people in Minnesota.  The results made it clear that we need to take immediate action to advance health equity for Minnesota’s LGBTQ population.

LGBTQ people in Minnesota are smoking at significantly higher rates. 30.8% of respondents were smokers, compared to 16.1% of the general population in Minnesota.[1] Tobacco can be a tricky issue to address because, too often, it is attributed to an individual lack of willpower, rather than systematic targeting and discrimination by tobacco manufacturers. However, I want the members of my community to lead long and healthy lives. This means we need to support the 61% of respondents who said they want to quit, and prevent the tobacco industry from recruiting new LGBTQ smokers.

The survey identified some structural barriers to LGBTQ health. 32.7% of transgender LGBTQ respondents reported that not having a safe and convenient place to exercise was a barrier to physical activity—three times the rate of cisgender LGBTQ respondents (11.3%). LGBTQ people of color were less likely to have good quality fruits and vegetables available where they usually shop for food (24.4%) than their white counterparts (15.8%), suggesting they are more likely to live in food deserts.  We must utilize our knowledge of structural barriers to health in order to design systems that are accessible to everyone.

The survey revealed that LGBTQ people in Minnesota are being severely underserved by our healthcare system. One in four LGBTQ respondents reported receiving poor quality healthcare because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.  One respondent wrote,

“Every time I go to the doctor I end up wasting time having to justify my gender and the changes I’ve made to my body to the doctor, even if I am seeing a doctor for something unrelated to my gender.”

More than one in every six LGBTQ respondents reported being discriminated against by a healthcare provider because of their identity.  A respondent recounted their experience:

“Doctors are so confused by me and afraid at urgent cares that sometimes they won’t touch me or often prescribe three times the antibiotic I may need.”

This disservice disproportionately affected the transgender population. Trans people were nearly twice as likely to have received poor quality care (44%) than cisgender

people (24.5%) and more than twice as likely to have experienced discriminatory care (38.2%) than cisgender people (15.2%).  Healthcare professionals need to make an explicit commitment to improving LGBTQ cultural competency to address this disparity.

In order to design culturally competent policies and programs, we need to understand the needs of our LGBTQ communities. Part of that understanding means improving data collection. Universities, healthcare providers, and policy makers need to follow the example of leaders like the National Health Interview Survey and the Williams Institute and adapt their techniques to local contexts, as Minnesota’s Hennepin County SHAPE survey has done. Better data collection also means that LGBTQ people need to remain engaged with research efforts. The more people who participate, the more we can break analysis by identity to understand the needs of all members of our communities.

Download the full report here: http://www.rainbowhealth.org/files/1013/6318/9525/VoicesofHealth_Rainbow_Health_Initiative.pdf

check out this cool infographic of their findings!

Learn more about Rainbow Health Initiative: www.rainbowhealth.org

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[1] Cigarette Smoking and Secondhand Smoke Exposure Among Adult Minnesotans Continues to Decline. Retrieved from http://www.mnadulttobaccosurvey.org/

CDC’S TIPS FROM FORMER SMOKERS CAMPAIGN’S LGBT FOCUS

                      

 

Gustavo Torrez

Program Manager

The Network for LGBT Health Equity

For Immediate Release: CDC’S TIPS FROM FORMER SMOKERS CAMPAIGN’S LGBT FOCUS

 

 

Today CDC released a new set of TIPS FROM FORMER SMOKERS CAMPAIGN AD’S

inclusive of LGBT tailored ads and ad buys.

Please distribute the statement widely as we celebrate this historic release!

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:     Chris Viveiros

March 28, 2013

617.927.6342/617.721.7494

cviveiros@fenwayhealth.org

THE FENWAY INSTITUTE APPLAUDS
CDC’S TIPS FROM FORMER SMOKERS CAMPAIGN’S LGBT FOCUS

The Fenway Institute applauds the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Office of Smoking and Health (OSH) for including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people among the populations featured in their new ‘Tips From Former Smokers’ tobacco cessation campaign. The campaign features compelling messages from people affected by tobacco use. Other populations featured include African-Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans/Alaskan Natives.

One of the ‘Tips from Former Smokers’ ads features a lesbian who suffers from asthma triggered by working in a smokefilled bar. Recently released data from the CDC shows that LGBT people smoke cigarettes at rates that are nearly 70% higher than the general population. The Fenway Institute and other organizations have been educating health agencies about the need for LGBT inclusion in public health campaigns for several years.  The Fenway Institute’s Network for LGBT Health Equity was involved in consultations with the CDC to help augment the diversity in the ‘Tips From Former Smokers’ ads.

“Tobacco use is one of the biggest health issues impacting the LGBT community,” said Scout, PhD, Director of the Network for LGBT Health Equity. “Right now it’s still historic to see LGBT inclusion in a national health media campaign. I hope other health agencies follow CDC’s lead and start to make it routine.”

The ‘Tips From Former Smokers’ campaign will include ad buys tailored to populations that have smoking disparities, access to tobacco quitlines in multiple languages, and online materials customized for special populations. Expect to see the ads run on TV, radio, print, and online through June. During 2012, the Tips From Former Smokers campaign resulted in 200,000 additional quitline calls across the nation.

The Network for LGBT Health Equity is a community-driven network of advocates and professionals looking to enhance LGBT health by eliminating tobacco use, and other health disparities within our communities. We are one of six CDC-funded tobacco disparity networks and a project of The Fenway Institute in Boston. We advance these issues primarily by linking people and information to advocate for policy change.

For more than forty years, Fenway Health has been working to make life healthier for the people in our neighborhood, the LGBT community, people living with HIV/AIDS and the broader population.  The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health is an interdisciplinary center for research, training, education and policy development focusing on national and international health issues. Fenway’s Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center cares for youth and young adults ages 12 to 29 who may not feel comfortable going anywhere else, including those who are LGBT or just figuring things out; homeless or living on the streets; struggling with substance use or abuse; sex workers; or living with HIV/AIDS.

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February Updates From The Network

As we closed out January leading into February the Network had full representation at this year’s Creating Change 2013 Conference (CC13). Joined by our Blogging Scholarship Recipient Alex Aldana along with two guest bloggers Josh Gale and Trevoi Crump from National Youth Pride Services, we were able to showcase many of the great workshops and events that took place at CC13.

Every year at Creating Change the Network facilitates an education campaign; this year we launched our Governors Initiative. This is a community based best practices initiative focused on bridging the gap between LGBT individuals and health by engaging them to send a postcard to their governor asking if LGBT health best practices are being implemented in their state. We have printed four questions on the postcards, each based on our MPOWERED best practices: Does the state collect LGBT data as a routine part of all health surveys (such as BRFSS & YRBS), are health department and grantee staff trained in LGBT cultural competency and health disparities, are LGBT people included in community advisory bodies, are LGBT images routinely reflected in public health promotional materials? We are very pleased to report we already have postcards collected for thirty different states.

This month Gustavo visited Arkansas for the third time, this time expanding his technical assistance to a broader group of stakeholders from across the Arkansas Department of Health. On this trip, we’re pleased to report they launched a strategy we’d been suggesting to them on prior trips, the creation of an Arkansas LGBT Tobacco & Health Coalition. They are also implementing a larger scale LGBT integration strategy across the state department of health. To help this strategy Gustavo was able to meet with state health representatives from grants management, cessation, media, chronic disease, and HIV, among others. Gustavo also facilitated the largest LGBT health meeting in the state, a convening of 30 different community and state stakeholders beginning the work on their LGBT tobacco & health action plan. In order to strengthen the work in Arkansas, the Network is collaborating with The National LGBT Health Education Center here at the Fenway Institute, who has done some training with the University of Arkansas’ Medical Campus. As is our policy, we connected local state representatives with the local community based organizations that are part of CenterLink and the Equality Federation. In this case, Gustavo arranged for state staff to visit the Center for Artistic Revolution. We couldn’t be more pleased with Arkansas’ willingness to put best practice guidelines into the field and look forward to subtantive local changes as a result.

In a similar story, one of the states with whom we have been doing years of work had a success this month. West Virginia was the state that first asked us to outline the science justifying LGBT data collection, spurring our LGBT Tobacco Surveillance Briefing Paper. We’re happy to report this month their tobacco data release was led by the news of the LGBT smoking disparity, news that ultimately gained them coverage in the biggest state newspaper. See the story, including our quotes here.

In other assorted notes this month, the Network submitted an invited proposal to the Missouri Foundation for Health to provide Technical Assistance to a local health policy project. Dr. Scout submitted a section on tobacco for a forthcoming book, Trans Bodies, Trans Selves. He has also been confirmed as the plenary speaker for Nebraska’s state tobacco conference in April. As follow-up to the last month’s request to Sebelius for more funded LGBT tobacco research, we also had a meeting with the head of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, Dr. Lawrence Deyton. FDA’s CTP is investing heavily in new tobacco regulatory research. Dr. Deyton was very open to suggestions on how to ensure LGBT people (and all disparity populations) were included in the range of tobacco research; look for more information on that initiative in coming months.

Tobacco Control In LGBT Communities: A journey through this valuable report

As I am sure you are aware on Tuesday Legacy released a new report: Tobacco Control In LGBT Communities. This report is another to hit the national stage to address the growing concern of tobacco use and the affect it has on LGBT people. The layout of this report is quite nice, first addressing Legacy’s role in the movement, but more importantly highlighting the prevalence rates, and the fact data collection efforts needs to continue so we can monitor tobacco use in our communities.

While there are a lot of numbers folks who appreciate the data, sometimes the data does not truly share the full story. The report has a great section, Behind the Numbers: Tobacco and LGBT Communities. Which paints the story of why tobacco use is and continues to be an issues among our communities. It looks at Social Stigma and Smoking, the Bar and Club Culture, addressing health care disparities and the lack of access to health care our communities face. In addition they showcase tobacco industry targeting, and how smoking is normalized in our community in such a way that it has truly infiltrated our lives and LGBT culture overall. Additionally it goes in to the efforts the tobacco industry took in co-opting our community, and how tobacco companies were characterized as pioneers who stood in solidarity with our communities which is such a fascinating read.

We all know that there is a long standing history of LGBT people and tobacco. The report addresses some key points on what needs to be done moving forward with a set of actions public health and tobacco control organizations can take to counter tobacco in our communities:

• Engage directly with the LGBT community to offer cessation and prevention services that are culturally competent.
• Include questions on sexual orientation and gender identity in population-based studies and surveys of health status.
• Develop better and more standardized questions about sexual orientation and gender identity so a better picture of LGBT populations can be drawn.
• Conduct longitudinal cohort studies, which follow participants over long periods of time.
• Include, at all levels, LGBT people in mainstream tobacco control efforts.
• Develop tobacco control media campaigns targeting LGBT communities.
• Help LGBT communities and organizations find alternatives to tobacco industry funding.
• Include LGBT youth in all levels of tobacco control efforts.
• Ensure that the leadership of LGBT tobacco control efforts represents all LGBT communities, including traditionally disenfranchised segments such as transgender people, lesbian and bisexual women, people of color, LGBT youth, and LGBT people of lower socioeconomic status.

In the second part of this report it showcases four case studies of past legacy grantees. Leave no Funds Behind, which was a project the Network created working on Bridging the Gap Between LGBT Organizations and Tobacco Control Funding. As well as, Delicious Lesbian Kisses: A Social Marketing Campaign with Staying Power, Crush: The LGBT Lifestyle Project, and 30 Seconds: Helping Health Care Providers Reach LGBT Tobacco Users were all highlighted.

I highly recommend you take a look at this report, and share both the report and the factsheet created by legacy:

Tobacco Control In LGBT Communities Report

Tobacco Fact Sheet: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (Lgbt) communities and smoking

LGBT Tobacco Control Efforts Taking The Spotlight

 

 

Gustavo Torrez

Program Manager

The Network for LGBT Health Equity

MPOWERED: Taking on CDC 

LGBT Communities smoke at rates 68% higher than the general population there is much work to be done to protect, and preserve our community, and many reasons that this disparity exists. Yesterday, Legacy released a report titled Tobacco Control in LGBT Communities.

To mark the release, Legacy hosted a panel discussion as part of their Warner lecture Series Tobacco Use in the LGBT Communities: Why LGBT People Smoke So Much & What Can Be Done About It . The panel took place at the Human Rights Campaign Headquarters in DC.

For those of you who watched the live webcast, I am sure you can agree that this was a hugely dynamic group of folks, speaking with both passion and commitment about working to reduce the health disparities affecting our communities. While the focus was LGBT Tobacco Control, there was a lot of discussion about the intersectionality of tobacco and other health disparities that affect disparity communities. Next week, the webcast will be available on the Legacy archive, and we highly recommend you check it out if you missed the webinar yesterday!

Also, if you’re on twitter, you can search #warnerseries to see the blow-by-low live tweeting from the event!

Last year the American Lung Association released their report: Smoking Out The Deadly Threat, and the panel yesterday was yet another exciting moment when a national organization released a report addressing the issues and challenges around tobacco use in the LGBT community.

As the tides shift both on a national and local level, we are so excited to see the growing support for comprehensive inclusion of LGBT communities in Tobacco Prevention and Control!

Check out this amazing video shown at the event

More to come about this exciting event…

LGBT Communities & Tobacco Use Report Release LIVE WEBCAST TODAY

LGBT Communities & Tobacco Use

A recent article in the American Journal of Public Health analyzed nationally representative survey results and found that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people smoke cigarettes at rates that are nearly 70 percent higher than the general population. Legacy is committed to raising awareness of the high prevalence of tobacco use within these communities and highlighting solutions to address it.

Dissemination Report: Tobacco Control in LGBT Communities

This is the twelfth publication in Legacy’s dissemination series. It calls attention to the issue of the high prevalence of tobacco use and nicotine dependence in LGBT communities in the United States and examines sociocultural facets of tobacco use and tobacco-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among LGBT individuals. It also includes four examples of promising projects implemented by Legacy’s past grantees to address the high prevalence of tobacco use and tobacco-related disparities in this population.

Download a PDF of Tobacco Control in LGBT Communities here.

Video: “Tobacco Control in LGBT Communities”

A look at tobacco use among the LGBT population through personal stories and expert insights from:

• Dr. Scout, Director, The Fenway Institute’s Network for LGBT Health Equity
• Amari Pearson-Fields, Former Deputy Director, Mautner Project
• Bil Browning, Editor-In-Chief, Bilerico Project Blog

Warner Series: “Tobacco Use in the LGBT Communities: Why LGBT People Smoke So Much & What Can Be Done About It”

On December 11th, 2012, Legacy and the Human Rights Campaign hosted a panel discussion examining the socio-cultural factors influencing tobacco use in LGBT communities in the U.S., which result in high prevalence rates, disease and loss of life.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012
3:30 PM Eastern
Human Rights Campaign Headquarters, Washington D.C

View the webcast or RSVP in Person here.

 

Fact Sheet: “LGBT Communities and Smoking”

Explore the correlation between different LGBT groups and tobacco use.

Download a PDF of the fact sheet here

PRESS RELEASE: FINDINGS FROM CDC’S NATIONAL ADULT TOBACCO SURVEY SHOWS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER PREVALENCE OF TOBACCO USE AMONG LGBT RESPONDENTS VERSUS GENERAL POPULATION

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                        
September 20, 2012    

Contact:     Chris Viveiros

617.927.6342 / 617.721.7494                                                                                               cviveiros@fenwayhealth.org 

FINDINGS FROM CDC’S NATIONAL ADULT TOBACCO SURVEY SHOWS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER PREVALENCE OF TOBACCO USE AMONG LGBT RESPONDENTS VERSUS GENERAL POPULATION

Report Marks Historic First Release of National Surveillance Data on LGBT Tobacco Use

A CDC (United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) analysis of data from 2009-2010 National Adult Tobacco Survey published in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) showed that with the exception of pipes, tobacco use was significantly higher among LGBT respondents when compared to the general population.   The survey found that 32.8% of LGBT people nationally smoke cigarettes; 12.2% smoke cigars/cigarillos/small cigars; 6.1% and 38.5% report using any tobacco.  Among heterosexual/straight respondents, those rates fell to 19.5% for cigarettes; 6.6% for cigars/cigarillos/small cigars; and 25.2% for any tobacco use.

An abstract of the APJH report is available here, where American Public Health Association (APHA) members can download a PDF of the full report.  Members of the press who would like a copy of the report should contact the APHA at mediarelations@apha.org or 202.777.2509.

“These data provide the first national benchmark of adult LGBT tobacco use and we applaud the Office of Smoking and Health at CDC for their leadership in LGBT integration and data collection,” comments Dr. Scout, The Director of The Network for LGBT Health Equity.  “Unfortunately, these findings  confirm the bad news that LGBT people smoke cigarettes at rates 68% higher than the general population and that our overall tobacco use is 50% higher.” said Scout, PhD, Director of The Network for LGBT Health.

“It’s clearer than ever that tobacco use is one of the largest single health burdens on the LGBT community,” Scout continued. “On a daily level, this means smoking and secondhand smoke is taking our health and too often, our lives. I look forward to the day when every tobacco control program includes LGBT tailored work and every tobacco industry marketing program doesn’t.”

“The American Lung Association is happy to see that this report contains specific information on LGBT tobacco use. As we stated in our 2010 report on LGBT tobacco use, Smoking Out a Deadly Threat – Tobacco Use in the LGBT Community, it’s important that this type of data be collected among the LGBT community so we can target programs and funding appropriately to reduce the burden of tobacco use among this community and all disproportionately affected communities,” said Bill Blatt, the Director of Tobacco Control Programs at The American Lung Association.

“The LGBT communities have been advocating for health data collection for so long.” reports Terry Stone, the Executive Director of Centerlink, the national association of LGBT community centers, “It’s great to finally see some results from that work. Even if the news is bad, it’s better than being invisible.”

The 2009 – 2010 National Adult Tobacco Survey is a national landline and cell phone survey of adults aged 18 years and older, to estimate current use of any tobacco; cigarettes; cigars, cigarillos, or small cigars; chewing tobacco, snuff, or dip; water pipes; snus; and pipes. We stratified estimates by gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, income, sexual orientation, and US state.

The Network for LGBT Health Equity at The Fenway Institute is a community-driven network of advocates and professionals looking to enhance LGBT health by eliminating tobacco use, and other health disparities within our communities. We are one of six CDC-funded tobacco disparity networks.

For more than forty years, Fenway Health has been working to make life healthier for the people in our neighborhood, the LGBT community, people living with HIV/AIDS and the broader population.  The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health is an interdisciplinary center for research, training, education and policy development focusing on national and international health issues. Fenway’s Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center cares for youth and young adults ages 12 to 29 who may not feel comfortable going anywhere else, including those who are LGBT or just figuring things out; homeless or living on the streets; struggling with substance use or abuse; sex workers; or living with HIV/AIDS.

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