An Assessment of Health Disparities among a Community Sample of LGBQ College Students

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) individuals are a marginalized population in the United States, and this status places them at a greater risk for adverse health outcomes, such as tobacco and substance use, obesity, cancer, sexually-transmitted infections, violence, mental health issues, and suicide. The present study used individual- and microsystem-level data from the American College Health Association (ACHA)-National College Health Assessment (NCHA) to compose a risk assessment for LGBQ students at a mid-Atlantic university. The study incorporated various levels of the ecological social model in an analysis of potentially influential factors on the development of LGBQ health disparities. 856 participants completed a self-administered anonymous survey that included questions assessing a broad variety of health indicators, such as alcohol, tobacco, and other substance use, sexual health, mental health, nutrition, and personal safety and violence. A significant minority of the sample identified with a sexual orientation other than heterosexual (n=184, 21.6%). Sexual minority students reported significantly higher rates of various types of substance use [e.g., sedatives x2 (1,N=856)=3.543,