Sexual Orientation Differences in Modifiable Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease and Cardiovascular Disease
Billy A Caceres1,2, Abraham A Brody2,3, Perry N Halkitis4,5,6,7
11 School of Nursing, Columbia University , New York, New York.
Insights
Bisexual men face higher risks for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors like obesity and high blood pressure compared to exclusively heterosexual men. Gay men and men who have sex with men showed similar CVD risk profiles.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Cardiovascular Health
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death globally.
- Gay and bisexual men experience higher rates of modifiable CVD risk factors.
- Research on sexual orientation differences in CVD among men is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sexual orientation disparities in modifiable CVD risk factors.
- To examine differences in CVD diagnoses across sexual orientations in men.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2001-2012).
- Categorization into four groups: gay, bisexual, heterosexual men who have sex with men (MSM), and exclusively heterosexual men.
- Logistic regression models used to compare groups, with exclusively heterosexual men as the reference.
Main Results:
- No significant CVD risk differences were found between heterosexual MSM and exclusively heterosexual men.
- Gay men reported lower rates of binge drinking compared to exclusively heterosexual men.
- Bisexual men exhibited higher rates of mental distress, obesity, elevated blood pressure, and glycosylated hemoglobin.
Conclusions:
- Bisexual-identified men face elevated risks for several CVD risk factors.
- Gay-identified and heterosexual-identified MSM showed comparable CVD risk to exclusively heterosexual men.
- Highlights the need for targeted CVD and mental health screenings for bisexual men.
Purpose:
Despite higher rates of modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in gay and bisexual men, few studies have examined sexual orientation differences in CVD among men. The purpose of this study was to examine sexual orientation differences in modifiable risk factors for CVD and CVD diagnoses in men.
Methods:
A secondary analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2001-2012) was conducted. Multiple imputation was performed for missing values. Differences across four distinct groups were analyzed: gay-identified men, bisexual-identified men, heterosexual-identified men who have sex with men (MSM), and heterosexual-identified men who denied same-sex behavior (categorized as exclusively heterosexual). Multiple logistic regression models were run with exclusively heterosexual men as the reference group.
Results:
The analytic sample consisted of 7731 men. No differences between heterosexual-identified MSM and exclusively heterosexual men were observed. Few differences in health behaviors were noted, except that, compared to exclusively heterosexual men, gay-identified men reported lower binge drinking (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.37-0.85). Bisexual-identified men had higher rates of mental distress (AOR 2.39, 95% CI = 1.46-3.90), obesity (AOR 1.69, 95% CI = 1.02-2.72), elevated blood pressure (AOR 2.30, 95% CI = 1.43-3.70), and glycosylated hemoglobin (AOR 3.01, 95% CI = 1.38-6.59) relative to exclusively heterosexual men.
Conclusions:
Gay-identified and heterosexual-identified MSM demonstrated similar CVD risk to exclusively heterosexual men, whereas bisexual-identified men had elevations in several risk factors. Future directions for sexual minority health research in this area and the need for CVD and mental health screenings, particularly in bisexual-identified men, are highlighted.
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