AJPH
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

AJPH First Look, published online ahead of print May 2, 2006
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
AJPH.2005.062661v1
96/6/1111    most recent
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow purchase articles
Right arrow View Shopping Cart
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Right arrow Get other permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (2)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Heck, J. E.
Right arrow Articles by Gorin, S. S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Heck, J. E.
Right arrow Articles by Gorin, S. S.
Related Collections
Right arrow Insurance
Right arrow Access to Care
Right arrow Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Persons
June 2006, Vol 96, No. 6 | American Journal of Public Health 1111-1118
© 2006 American Public Health Association
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.062661

RESEARCH AND PRACTICE

Health Care Access Among Individuals Involved in Same-Sex Relationships

Julia E. Heck, PhD, MPH, Randall L. Sell, ScD and Sherri Sheinfeld Gorin, PhD

At the time of the study, Julia E. Heck was a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology and a fellow with the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy, Columbia University, New York City. Randall L. Sell is with the Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University. Sherri Sheinfeld Gorin is with the Departments of Epidemiology and Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University, and the Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Teacher’s College, Columbia University.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Sherri Sheinfeld Gorin, PhD, Department of Health and Behavior Studies, 525 W 120th St, Box 239, Thorndike 954, New York, NY 10027 (e-mail: ssg19{at}columbia.edu).

Objectives. We used data from the National Health Interview Survey to compare health care access among individuals involved in same-sex versus opposite-sex relationships.

Methods. We conducted descriptive and logistic regression analyses from pooled data on 614 individuals in same-sex relationships and 93418 individuals in opposite-sex relationships.

Results. Women in same-sex relationships (adjusted odds ratio [OR]=0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.39, 0.92) were significantly less likely than women in opposite-sex relationships to have health insurance coverage, to have seen a medical provider in the previous 12 months (OR=0.66; 95% CI=0.46, 0.95), and to have a usual source of health care (OR=0.50; 95% CI=0.35, 0.71); they were more likely to have unmet medical needs as a result of cost issues (OR=1.85; 95% CI=1.16, 2.96). In contrast, health care access among men in same-sex relationships was equivalent to or greater than that among men in opposite-sex relationships.

Conclusions. In this study involving a nationwide probability sample, we found some important differences in access to health care between individuals in same-sex and opposite-sex relationships, particularly women.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2006 by the American Public Health Association