title: Cancer Risk Factors, Diagnosis and Sexual Identity in the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women's Health.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We sought to examine cancer diagnosis, cancer treatment, and related risk factors among Australian, middle-aged, exclusively heterosexual women compared with sexual minority women (SMW; mainly heterosexual, bisexual, mainly lesbian, and lesbian).
  
  
  METHODS
  Secondary data analysis of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women's Health for women born in 1946 through 1951 (n = 10,451) included bivariate tests (i.e., contingency table analyses, independent t tests).
  
  
  RESULTS
  SMW did not have significantly higher cancer diagnoses compared with exclusively heterosexual women, although they were more likely to report never having had a mammogram or pap smear. SMW were also significantly more likely to be high-risk drinkers (11.1% vs. 6.8%; p < .05), current smokers (15.1% vs. 8.3%; p < .001), report significantly higher rates of depression (mean ± SD; 6.4 ± 5.5 vs. 5.4 ± 5.1; p < .01.), have experienced physical abuse (10.2% vs. 5.1%; p < .001), and been in a violent relationship (27.2% vs. 12.8%; p < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SMW had higher rates of several known cancer risk factors, ostensibly placing them at higher risk of cancer as well as chronic health conditions. Further research is needed to determine whether increased risk results in increased cancer as these women age, and to inform the development of interventions to reduce the risk of disease for SMW.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: rhonda.brown@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Rhonda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McNair
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Szalacha
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Public Health, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Patricia M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Livingston
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Tonda
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hughes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001727:Bisexuality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D020010:Heterosexuality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D065006:Papanicolaou Test / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016387:Women's Health