Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Jul:208:126-133.
doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.05.020. Epub 2018 May 7.

"Like finding a unicorn": Healthcare preferences among lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in the United States

Alexander J Martos  1 , Patrick A Wilson  2 , Allegra R Gordon  3 , Marguerita Lightfoot  4 , Ilan H Meyer  5
Affiliations

"Like finding a unicorn": Healthcare preferences among lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in the United States

Alexander J Martos et al. Soc Sci Med. 2018 Jul.

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) peoples' healthcare preferences are often developed in response to social and institutional factors that can ultimately deter them from care. Prior qualitative explorations of LGB healthcare preferences have been limited in their ability to identify and compare patterns across age cohort, gender, and race/ethnicity. The current study examines qualitative data from 186 modified Life Story Interviews with three age cohorts of LGB people from New York City, NY, San Francisco, CA, Tucson, AZ, and Austin, TX to understand the factors influencing LGB people's healthcare preferences. Data are analyzed using a directed content analysis approach. Five key themes emerged regarding influences on healthcare preferences: Stigma, provider expertise, identity, service type, and access. Findings suggest that healthcare preferences among LGB people are both complex and closely linked to social changes over time. Healthcare preferences among LGB people are both complex and closely linked to social changes over time.

Keywords: And bisexual health; Gay; Healthcare access; Lesbian; United States.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Aday LuAnne, Awe Williams C., 1997. Health services utilization models In: Gochman David S. (Ed.), Handbook of Health Behavior Research I: Personal and Social Determinants. Plenum Press, New York, New York, pp. 153–172.
    1. Andersen Ronald M., 1995. Revisiting the behavioral model and access to medical care: does it matter? J. Health Soc. Behav 1–10. - PubMed
    1. Andersen Ronald M., 2008. National health surveys and the behavioral model of health services use. Med. Care 46 (7), 647–653. - PubMed
    1. Andersen Ronald M., Newman John F., 1973. Societal and individual determinants of medical care utilization in the United States. Health and Society 1, 95–124. - PubMed
    1. Babitsch Birgit, Gohl Daniela, Lengerke von Thomas, 2012. Re-revisiting Andersen’s behavioral model of health services use: a systematic review of studies from 1998–2011. GMS Psycho-Soc.-Med 9. - PMC - PubMed