LGBT Youth Have Higher Health Risks, Says Study

Being a teenager can be tough. From the changing body to the increased cruelty, it can be a rough sea to sail.

Add being gay or bisexual to that equation and consequences could be worse according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control. Gay, lesbian and bisexual high school students are more prone to drug, alcohol and tobacco use and generally risky behaviour.

The study looked at youth risk behavior surveys from 2001 to 2009 taken in 11 states including Massachusetts, Vermont, California and New York, and evaluated the results using 10 health risk categories: behaviors that contribute to violence, behaviors related to attempted suicide, tobacco use, alcohol use, other drug use, sexual behaviors, and weight management.

Results showed that that gay or lesbian students had higher rates for seven of these categories while bisexual students had higher prevalence rates for 57 percent to 86 percent of all health risks measured.

Researchers say more large-scale investigations need to be made in order to understand why these teens are engaging in riskier behaviour for their health and eventually stop it. But it’s sure that the bully-ridden atmosphere of some high schools doesn’t help teens who identify as LGBT to feel integrated, so it is possible they match their outcast status with more hazardous behaviour.

“This report should be a wake-up call for families, schools and communities that we need to do a much better job of supporting these young people,” said Howell Wechsler, director of CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health.

It starts by telling our youth that no sexual orientation is more worthy than another. We can’t keep perpetuating this vicious cycle of exclusion.

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