Preventive Health Behaviors Among Lesbian and Bisexually Identified Women

SUMMARY

The current research aimed to better understand the preventive health behaviors of lesbian and bisexually identified women. We recruited lesbian and bisexual women at a large-scale Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual (GLB) event in New York City. An ethnically diverse sample of 102 lesbian and 23 bisexually identified women who had sex with women from the New York City metropolitan area completed a quantitative survey. Lesbians, compared to bisexual women, were significantly older and significantly more likely to report being in partnered relationships. Lesbians were also more likely than bisexual women to report having performed recent breast self-examinations. Because of previously inconsistent findings and methodologies, further research is needed to determine the specific effects of lesbian or bisexual identity on preventive health behaviors.

KEYWORDS:

• Lesbian
• bisexual
• health behavior