Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 31, 2026

Skeletal Muscle Gender Dimorphism from Proteomics
Published on: December 14, 2011
Health gaps by sexual orientation and gender identity among Japanese millennial generation: A decomposition analysis
Midori Matsushima1, Hiroyuki Yamada2, Tetsuji Minami3
1Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan.
Objectives:
Sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) have been found to experience poorer physical and mental health than non-SGMs. This study aims to identify health gaps between SGMs and non-SGMs among Japanese millennials and examine factors contributing to these disparities.
Study Design:
Secondary data analysis with logistic regression, and Fairlie model of decomposition.
Methods:
We used cross-sectional data of millennials from the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey 2022, a population-based online survey comprising 5868 males (986 SGM and 4882 non-SGM) and 6253 females (907 SGM and 5346 non-SGM). Five illnesses and diseases (hypertension, mental illness, oral diseases, chronic pain, and allergy) were examined. Logistic regression assessed health gaps, and the Fairlie decomposition technique quantified the contributions of socioeconomic status, healthcare access, health behaviors, and victimization of violence.
Results:
SGMs had higher odds of all illnesses, including hypertension (OR 3.02 for males; 3.83 for females) and mental illness (OR 2.87 for males; 1.87 for females). Prevalence gaps ranged from 11 to 19% in males and 4-13% in females. Victimization consistently explained the largest share of disparities, accounting for roughly one-third to three-quarters of the observed gaps, whereas socioeconomic factors, healthcare access, and health behaviors contributed minimally.
Conclusions:
Victimization accounts for a substantial portion of health disparities between SGMs and non-SGMs, even among millennials who have grown up in a more socially open environment. Because experiences of violence are shaped by structural stigma, policy discussions addressing stigma and strengthening legal protections for SGMs are essential to improving health equity.
Related Concept Videos
Bias in Epidemiological Studies
Self-Discrepancy and Its Effects
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Sex Linked Disorders
Cross-Sectional Research
Relationship Formation
