Tobacco Use Highest Among Gay Men

BY DMITRY RASHNITSOV

The American Lung Association released its latest health disparity report, Smoking Out a Deadly Threat: Tobacco Use in the LGBT Community, which examines the trend of higher tobacco use among the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Community.

While LGBT people are represented in every part of the American population, the lack of data collection information on sexual orientation and gender identity in most state and national health surveys means trends within the community can go unnoticed. Nonetheless, current data indicates the LGBT population smokes at a higher rate than the general public.

Gay, bisexual and transgender men are 2.0 to 2.5 times more likely to smoke than heterosexual men, the report states. Lesbian, bisexual and transgender women are 1.5 to 2.0 times more likely to smoke than heterosexual women, the report states. Bisexual boys and girls have some of the highest smoking rates when compared with both their heterosexual and homosexual peers.

“The American Lung Association issued Smoking Out a Deadly Threat: Tobacco Use in the LGBT Community to raise awareness of this health disparity and address the need for additional research specific to the LGBT community and tobacco use,” said Charles D. Connor, American Lung Association President and CEO. “Like other groups disproportionately affected by tobacco use including African Americans and Native Americans, the LGBT population needs targeted efforts to reduce smoking rates, which will ultimately save lives.”

The data came from researchers reviewing 42 separate studies measuring smoking prevalence in gay, lesbian, and bisexual populations, including those with same sex attraction or relationships.

The Lung Association’s compilation of research found possible contributing factors to the LGBT smoking rate including: stress and discrimination related to homophobia, the tobacco industry’s targeted marketing to LGBT customers, and lack of access to culturally appropriate tobacco treatment programs among various other factors.

“Since the smoking rate within the LGBT community is roughly double that of the general population, more members of the LGBT community are at greatly increased risk of these deadly diseases, as well as other tobacco-related health threats such as heart attacks and strokes,” said Mary H. Partridge

American Lung Association Board Chairman. “Tobacco’s toll on this underserved community is far too great, and with this report, the American Lung Association calls for decisive action to better understand the root causes and find effective solutions to this deadly threat to the LGBT community.”

The American Lung Association is calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and all state Departments of Health to include sexual orientation and gender identity questions in public health surveys.  State and local tobacco control programs should work to ensure prevention and cessation programs, materials and staff are culturally competent and inclusive of the LGBT community. LGBT advocacy organizations should advocate for policies to promote tobacco prevention and cessation programs, and identify alternative funding sources to tobacco industry sponsorship.

“I think tobacco products are heavily promoted in the bar/club scene. The same is true in the straight community but I think the difference is more people in the LGBT community rely on the bar/club scene to be social,” said 27-year-old gay man Zeb Smith.

The Smoking Out a Deadly Threat: Tobacco Use in the LGBT Community report is the second in the American Lung Association’s Disparities in Lung Health series, which aims to better understand why specific populations are susceptible to worse lung health.

The American Lung Association has several programs that help tens of thousands of smokers take the big step of quitting each year. Freedom From Smoking  provides a personalized, step-by-step quit plan and is offered online (www.ffsonline.org) or as a group clinic to help smokers work through the problems and process of quitting. The Lung HelpLine (1-800-LUNG-USA) provides smoking cessation counseling and one-on-one support from registered nurses and respiratory therapists. Smoking cessation support, lung cancer treatment information and additional resources are available at www.lungusa.org.