141st APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

290705
Sexual minority status and health insurance status among young adults in the United States


Monday, November 4, 2013 : 5:15 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Elbert Almazan, PhD, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI
Michael Roettger, PhD, Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Pauline Acosta, PhD, MPH, Global Campus, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI
Objective: Very few population-based studies with probability sampling have examined the association between sexual minority status and health insurance status. In our study, we examined whether sexual minority status is associated with health insurance status among young adults ages 24 to 34 in the United States. Method: We analyzed data from Wave IV (2007-2008) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. We employed logistic regression models in the analysis. Results: Sexual minority young adult women reported greater odds for reporting no insurance compare to heterosexual young adult women. No difference in health insurance status was observed among young adult men. Conclusion: Sexual minority status matters for health insurance status among young adult women, but not among young adult men. The moderating effect of gender may reflect that young adult women face greater economic and social barriers in obtaining health insurance compared to young adult men.

Learning Areas:

Diversity and culture
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related public policy
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Compare health insurance coverage between sexual minority young adults and heterosexual young adults in the United States.

Keyword(s): Health Insurance, Access to Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am an assistant professor in sociology at Central Michigan University. I conduct research on the health and well-being of LGBT populations using population data.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3453.0: Emerging and other relevant LGBT topics