LGBT Community Health Research Papers

Abstract

Preventive medicine has proven to be one of the most effective ways to prevent various major chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and involuntary pregnancies, amongst countless others. Nearly half of Americans do not make use of the preventive services offered due to high insurance costs. For those who form part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community, their main concern has nothing to do with costs; actually, these individuals are fearful of the stigma related to their sexual orientation. Aside from this, the physicians caring for these individuals tend to lack knowledge in regards to the common and uncommon health care issues that arise within this community. Upcoming research

This is especially true for the LGBT community; in fact, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the LGBT community has one of the highest demands for physicians who are knowledgeable in the diseases that occur most frequently within their population (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). As many know, LGBT individuals have an increased likelihood of obtaining HIV/AIDS; however, physicians still fail to encourage healthy sexual behaviors and preventative health screenings. Aside from this, many patients who form part of the LGBT community are hesitant to question physicians on lifestyle modifications due to the stigma and discrimination associated with their sexual behaviors. The shortage of competent physicians who take the time to properly assess and educate their LGBT patients causes a vicious cycle of unhealthy practices ultimately leading to the development of chronic, and possibly debilitating,

In 2003, staff at SUNY Upstate Medical University in New York conducted research regarding physician approaches towards homosexual patients as well as if they ever questioned sexual orientation and sexual encounters of the LGBT community. This study was conducted by sending out over 400 self-administered surveys to physicians of different specialties and patients of various backgrounds; only around 45% of these surveys were actually returned. The alarming results revealed that approximately 40% of physicians did not complete a sexual health questionnaire if the adolescent expressed that he/she was sexually active regardless of any obvious correlation between the signs and symptoms of illness and sexual orientation. Moreover, many physicians who took part in this research study confessed that the lacked the knowledge and skills necessary to address such issues (Kitts, R. L., 2010). Another research study conducted by Smalley, Warren, and Barefoot (2015) compared risky behaviors within a broad range of sexual orientations compared to those of the subgroups within the LGBT community by filling out a health risk assessment questionnaire. This study consisted of 3,279 individuals who self-identified as forming part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual,