TABLE 2.
Adjusted Odds Ratios (AORs) for Health and Risk Behaviors of Rural Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adolescents Compared With Their Urban Peers: British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey, 2003
| Boys | Girls | |
| Survey item | AOR (95% CI) | AOR (95% CI) |
| Emotional health | ||
| Worried about family having enough food or money | 2.32** (1.66, 3.26) | 1.68** (1.37, 2.05) |
| Worried about not having someone to take care of him or her | 2.40** (1.66, 3.47) | 2.04** (1.68, 2.47) |
| Worried about violence in the home | 1.14 (0.75, 1.74) | 1.18 (0.96, 1.46) |
| Worried about substance use in the family | 1.60 (1.12, 2.28) | 0.71* (0.57, 0.89) |
| Felt strain, stress, or pressure quite a bit or extremely so in past month | 0.55** (0.40, 0.77) | 0.74* (0.61, 0.90) |
| Bothered by nerves quite a bit or extremely so in past month | 0.83 (0.57, 1.19) | 0.91 (0.74, 1.11) |
| Felt sad, discouraged, or hopeless quite a bit or extremely so in past month | 1.11 (0.79, 1.56) | 0.75* (0.62, 0.91) |
| Seriously considered suicide in past year | 1.68* (1.22, 2.31) | 0.93 (0.77, 1.13) |
| Attempted suicide in past year | 1.89* (1.27, 2.82) | 1.03 (0.83, 1.26) |
| Victimization | ||
| Ever physically abused | 1.06 (0.72, 1.57) | 0.94 (0.77, 1.15) |
| Ever sexually abused | 1.54 (0.99, 2.39) | 1.05 (0.86, 1.28) |
| Physically hurt by boyfriend or girlfriend in past yeara | 3.01** (1.79, 5.07) | 0.50** (0.34, 0.72) |
| Verbally sexually harassed in past year | 1.23 (0.88, 1.71) | 1.77** (1.39, 2.25) |
| Physically sexually harassed in past year | 1.79** (1.28, 2.50) | 1.02 (0.84, 1.24) |
| Verbally harassed (teased) at school in past year | 0.41** (0.30, 0.57) | 1.11 (0.91, 1.35) |
| Purposefully excluded at school in past year | 0.66 (0.48, 0.91) | 1.24 (1.02, 1.52) |
| Physically assaulted at school in past year | 1.22 (0.84, 1.78) | 0.58** (0.44, 0.78) |
| Discriminated against because of sexual orientation in past year | 0.64* (0.46, 0.88) | 1.15 (0.94, 1.41) |
| Discriminated against because of race in past year | 1.00 (0.67, 1.49) | 0.77 (0.55, 1.09) |
| Discriminated against because of physical appearance in past year | 1.28 (0.91, 1.80) | 1.30 (1.06, 1.58) |
| Sexual behavior | ||
| Ever had sex | 1.13 (0.82, 1.56) | 1.30 (1.06, 1.60) |
| Had sex before age 14 yearsb | 0.39* (0.21, 0.73) | 2.21** (1.63, 2.99) |
| Had ≥ 3 sexual partners in lifeb | 1.43 (0.90, 2.27) | 1.40 (1.08, 1.81) |
| Did not use condom at last sexual intercourseb | 0.83 (0.51, 1.36) | 1.40 (1.08, 1.81) |
| Did not use reliable birth control method at last sexual intercourseb | 1.32 (0.80, 2.20) | 0.91 (0.66, 1.25) |
| Ever pregnant or ever caused pregnancyb | 2.80** (1.65, 4.76) | 0.78 (0.48, 1.27) |
| Substance use | ||
| Ever tried alcohol | 0.81 (0.56, 1.17) | 1.93** (1.44, 2.59) |
| Used alcohol on ≥ 10 days in past month | 1.71 (0.96, 3.03) | 2.07** (1.52, 2.82) |
| Engaged in binge drinking in past month | 2.72** (1.95, 3.79) | 1.39** (1.15, 1.69) |
| Ever tried marijuana | 1.03 (0.74, 1.42) | 2.08** (1.67, 2.61) |
| Used marijuana ≥ 10 times in past month | 1.66 (1.07, 2.57) | 0.91 (0.70, 1.18) |
| Ever tried any other drug (other than alcohol and marijuana) | 2.15** (1.57, 2.96) | 1.37* (1.12, 1.66) |
| Ever used cocaine | 0.95 (0.60, 1.50) | 1.25 (0.98, 1.61) |
| Ever used hallucinogens | 1.25 (0.83, 1.87) | 1.27 (1.02, 1.58) |
| Ever used mushrooms | 2.14** (1.53, 2.99) | 1.64** (1.34, 2.00) |
| Ever used inhalants | 1.63 (1.06, 2.49) | 1.06 (0.78, 1.44) |
| Ever used amphetamines | 0.65 (0.39, 1.10) | 1.43* (1.10, 1.85) |
| Ever used heroin | 1.81 (0.60, 5.44) | 2.77** (1.88, 4.08) |
| Ever used injected drugs | NA | 3.55** (2.30, 5.47) |
| Ever used steroids | 7.65** (3.43, 17.09) | 1.10 (0.57, 2.12) |
| Ever used prescription pills without a doctor's consent | 2.43** (1.69, 3.51) | 1.45** (1.17, 1.80) |
| Experienced problems after alcohol or drug use in past yearc | 1.53 (1.01, 2.30) | 1.18 (0.95, 1.47) |
Note. CI = confidence interval; NA = not applicable because an odds ratio could not be calculated. The reference group was lesbian, gay, and bisexual urban adolescents. Analyses controlled for age, ethnicity, and moving status.
a
Of those who had a boyfriend or girlfriend (weighted n = 144 rural and 1018 urban boys, and 408 rural and 3134 urban girls).
b
Of those who had ever had sex (weighted n = 86 rural and 783 urban boys, and 330 rural and 2188 urban girls).
c
Of those who used alcohol or drugs (weighted n = 133 rural and 1076 urban boys, and 470 rural and 2907 urban girls).
*P < .01; **P < .001.