TABLE 2—
Prevalence of Ever Engaging Frequently in Cancer-Related Risk Behaviors by Sex and Sexual Orientation in the Growing Up Today Study (n = 9958): United States, 1999–2010
| Young Women, % or Mean (SD) |
Young Men, % or Mean (SD) |
|||||||||
| Variable | Lesbian (n = 80) | BI (n = 136) | MH (n = 961) | CH (n = 4984) | Total (n = 6161) | Gay (n = 101) | BI (n = 24) | MH (n = 245) | CH (n = 3427) | Total (n = 3797) |
| Overall high cancer risk (≥ 2 of 4 risk composite categories) | 35.0*** | 31.6*** | 28.5*** | 18.9 | 20.9 | 30.7** | 12.5 | 25.3* | 19.2 | 19.9 |
| High substance use (≥ 2 of 3 risk behaviors) | 27.5** | 35.3*** | 28.1*** | 14.2 | 17.0 | 29.7 | 25.0 | 30.2 | 29.9 | 29.9 |
| High diet and physical activity (≥ 2 of 3 risk behaviors) | 15.0 | 27.9*** | 23.4*** | 16.0 | 17.4 | 21.0 | 25.0 | 22.9** | 15.8 | 16.4 |
| High ultraviolet radiation (≥ 2 of 4 risk behaviors) | 47.5 | 29.2** | 35.9*** | 42.6 | 41.3 | 50.0*** | 26.1 | 30.3 | 32.8 | 33.1 |
| Ever sexually transmitted infection | 12.2 | 23.7** | 22.8*** | 14.8 | 16.2 | 14.4*** | 0.0 | 5.8 | 4.4 | 4.7 |
| Substance use risks, in past year | ||||||||||
| Cigarettes (smoked ≥ 5 daily) | 17.5* | 29.4*** | 21.1*** | 8.6 | 11.1 | 18.8 | 16.7 | 20.4*** | 12.5 | 13.2 |
| Ever other tobacco use (i.e., smoking cigars or chewing tobacco) | 18.8 | 27.2*** | 20.6*** | 12.1 | 13.9 | 24.8 | 25.0 | 25.3 | 29.0 | 28.6 |
| Binge drinking (≥ 6 times) | 61.3 | 61.8 | 67.7*** | 53.5 | 56.0 | 68.3 | 66.7 | 66.1 | 64.0 | 64.2 |
| Diet and physical activity risks | ||||||||||
| Overweight or obese BMIa | 42.5 | 49.3* | 42.4 | 39.4 | 40.1 | 45.5* | 66.7 | 52.2 | 56.6 | 56.0 |
| Vomited for weight control (≥ 1 per month in past year) | 8.8 | 13.2* | 12.4*** | 7.4 | 8.4 | 4.1** | 4.2 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| Physically inactive in past year | 31.7 | 44.9*** | 36.4*** | 29.8 | 31.2 | 39.2* | 37.5 | 41.8*** | 28.5 | 29.7 |
| Ultraviolet radiation risks, past summer, except tanning booth | ||||||||||
| Sun exposed (sometimes, often, or always) | 85.7 | 76.5* | 82.6 | 83.7 | 83.4 | 90.9 | 91.3 | 87.6 | 87.4 | 87.6 |
| Sunburned (≥ 5 times) | 25.0 | 23.5 | 23.0 | 25.3 | 24.9 | 17.8 | 16.7 | 20.9 | 22.1 | 21.9 |
| Used sunblock (never or seldom) | 15.0* | 9.6 | 8.3 | 7.4 | 7.7 | 20.8 | 8.3 | 15.6 | 17.6 | 17.5 |
| Used tanning booth (≥ 10 times per year) | 22.5** | 21.3*** | 31.3*** | 41.6 | 39.3 | 24.0*** | 8.3 | 5.7 | 7.2 | 7.5 |
| Demographic characteristics in 1999 | ||||||||||
| Age in years | 14.9 (1.6) | 14.7 (1.5) | 14.6 (1.6) | 14.7 (1.6) | 14.6 (1.6) | 14.7 (1.7) | 14.0 (1.4) | 14.5 (1.7) | 14.5 (1.6) | 14.5 (1.6) |
| Ethnic/racial minority background | 3.8 | 7.4 | 5.8* | 4.4 | 4.6 | 6.9 | 0.0 | 7.4 | 4.2 | 4.5 |
Note. BI = bisexual; BMI = body mass index; CH = completely heterosexual (the reference group to which each sexual-minority group was compared); MH = mostly heterosexual. Prevalence of frequently engaging in the risk behavior in any 1 of the longitudinal assessments is presented. Data for the composites of substance use and diet and physical activity were collected over 7 longitudinal assessments (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2010); for ultraviolet radiation over 6 assessments (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007); and for sexually transmitted infection over 3 assessments (1999, 2005, and 2007). Data for individual risk behaviors, including sexually transmitted infection, were collected over 7 or fewer assessments. Adjustments were made for sibling clusters in the analyses.
BMI was computed according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention algorithms.96–98
*P < .05; **P < .01; ***P < .001.