UK National Lesbians and Health Care Survey

ABSTRACT

Lesbians are less prevention oriented in their health care behavior than heterosexual women and avoid routine screening tests such as Pap smears and mammograms. The reasons for these differences have been partly attributed to beliefs about risk (for example, lesbians are said to be at lower risk of cervical cancer), and partly attributed to lesbians' poor experiences of health care because of heterosexism. The Lesbians and Health Care Survey was conducted during the 12 month period of 1997–8. The sample consisted of 1,066 lesbians living throughout the UK. The study examined whether risk perceptions, experiences of health care, and health-seeking behavior were correlated. Data were analyzed using SPSS to determine which variables were associated with participation in screening. While lesbians were less likely than lesbians in a similar U.S. study to report that their risk of cervical cancer was the same as that of heterosexual women, perceptions of risk were not correlated with participation in screening. We assumed that bad experiences of screening would act as a barrier to attendance; instead, good experiences were associated with the increased likelihood of attendance. These findings under-score the need for a pro-active agenda for lesbian health which addresses the need for culturally competent health care, the sharing of best practice amongst health care providers, and the creation of systemic institutional change to improve the care lesbians receive.

KEYWORDS:

• Cervical screening
• breast screening
• health care experiences
• risk
• quantitative data