Health Behaviors of US Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adolescents in 2015 | Adolescent Medicine | JAMA | The JAMA Network

Health Behaviors of US Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adolescents in 2015 | Adolescent Medicine | JAMA | The JAMA Network

December 13, 2016

Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual AdolescentsPopulation Estimate and Prevalence of Health Behaviors

Stephanie Zaza, MD, MPH¹; Laura Kann, PhD¹; Lisa C. Barrios, DrPH¹

Author Affiliations

JAMA. 2016;316(22):2355-2356. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.11683

FullText

Stigma and discrimination experienced during adolescence can have lifelong health consequences.¹ In addition, risky health behaviors are often established during adolescence and can be particularly prevalent among those aged 13 to 18 years experiencing stigma. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adolescents are at higher risk for stigma and discrimination than their heterosexual (straight) counterparts.¹ If LGB adolescents are also more likely to develop risky health behaviors, they will also be at higher risk of adverse health consequences than straight adolescents. However, the prevalence of risk behaviors among LGB adolescents has not been previously estimated in national surveys.