Lesbian, Bisexual Women Have Lower Cardiovascular Health Scores

WEDNESDAY, May 17, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Cardiovascular health disparities are seen in sexual minority adults, especially for lesbian and bisexual women, according to a study published online May 17 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Omar Deraz, D.M.D., M.P.H., from the Université Paris Cité, and colleagues estimated the association of Life's Essential 8 (LE8) and Life's Simple 7 (LS7) cardiovascular health scores with sexual minority status in a nationwide French epidemiological cohort study. Data were included for 169,434 cardiovascular disease-free adults: 90,879 women (555 lesbian, 3,149 bisexual, and 84,363 heterosexual) and 78,555 men (2,421 gay, 2,748 bisexual, and 70,994 heterosexual).

The researchers found that compared with heterosexual women, lesbian and bisexual women had a lower LE8 cardiovascular health score (β = −0.95 and −0.78, respectively) in multivariable models. Conversely, compared with heterosexual men, gay and bisexual men had a higher LE8 cardiovascular health score (β = 2.72 and 0.83, respectively). For the LS7 score, the findings were consistent, although of smaller magnitude.

"Overcoming preventive care barriers in sexual minority subgroups and understanding community perspectives are essential for cardiovascular disease prevention in this population," Deraz said in a statement. "Improving cultural competency among care providers and raising awareness may result in better cardiovascular health communication, monitoring, and referrals."

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