title: The health of aging lesbian, gay and bisexual adults in California.
abstract: Research on the health of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adults generally overlooks the chronic conditions that are the most common health concerns of older adults. This brief presents unique population-level data on aging LGB adults (ages 50-70) documenting that they have higher rates of several serious chronic physical and mental health conditions compared to similar heterosexual adults. Although access to care appears similar for aging LGB and heterosexual adults, aging LGB adults generally have higher levels of mental health services use and lesbian/bisexual women report greater delays in getting needed care. These data indicate a need for general health care and aging services to develop programs targeted to the specific needs of aging LGB adults, and for LGB-specific programs to increase attention to the chronic conditions that are common among all older adults.
authors.affiliation: UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, UCLA School of Public Health and UCLA School of Public Affairs, Los Angeles, California 90024, USA.
authors.forename: Steven P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: Susan D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Cochran
authors.forename: Eva M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Durazo
authors.forename: Chandra L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Ford
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D001727:Bisexuality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002140:California; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004522:Educational Status; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders; D008875:Middle Aged; D016730:Program Development; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors