Wendy B. Bostwick, MPH, PMA, College of Nursing (m/c 802), University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 South Damen Avenue, Chicago, ID 60612-7350, 13123553657, wbostw1@uic.edu

In the past decade there has been growing interest in the relationship between sexual identity and health, particularly in regard to health outcomes and issues related to access and quality of care. There remains, however, a profound blind spot in health research dedicated to bisexual women (and men) specifically. Even when they are included in research studies, bisexual women are often dropped from analyses altogether or “recoded” as lesbians. Usually, however, they are combined with lesbians in data analyses, and become part of the single category “lesbian/bisexual women”. As a result, differences that may exist between lesbians and bisexual women, as well as heterosexual women, are likely to be lost or obscured. A small but growing body of work suggests that the health status and health behavior of bisexual women does differ from both lesbian and heterosexual counterparts, when three-category analyses are conducted. This presentation will offer an overview of the literature-to-date on bisexual women’s health, including findings related to mental health, substance use, and utilization of health services, with particular emphasis on those areas in which bisexual women differ significantly from lesbians. In addition, the presentation will include a brief discussion of measuring “sexual orientation” and how findings may differ for particular health outcomes if a behavioral definition of bisexuality is used, as opposed to one in which the respondent self-identifies as bisexual. Finally, recommendations for future research will be discussed, including a description of the author’s own research study.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to

1)Describe the distinct health needs of bisexual women
• Compare and contrast the health needs of bisexual women, lesbians and heterosexual women as reflected in extant health literature 3)Discuss the difference between bisexuality as a sexual behavior and bisexuality as a sexual identity, and how health behaviors and health outcomes may differ depending on how bisexuality is defined
• Name at least three areas in which more information is needed vis-a-vis bisexual women's health needs and behaviors

Keywords: Bisexual, Health Needs

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.