Open AccessLifetime Asthma Prevalence and Correlates Among US Youths by Sexual Identity and Race/Ethnicity, 2009–2017
Author(s) -
Caleb W. Curry,
Dylan Felt,
Lauren B. Beach,
Megan M. Ruprecht,
Xinzi Wang,
Gregory Phillips
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2020.305664
Subject(s) - ethnic group , demography , medicine , lesbian , asthma , sexual minority , health equity , sexual identity , sexual orientation , logistic regression , transgender , psychology , public health , human sexuality , social psychology , immunology , gender studies , nursing , sociology , anthropology , psychoanalysis
Objectives. To comprehensively assess asthma disparities and identify correlates in youths at the intersections of sex, sexual identity, and race/ethnicity in the United States. Methods. We obtained a diverse sample of youths (n = 307 073) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Survey. We pooled data across 107 jurisdiction-years (2009-2017). We calculated lifetime asthma prevalence by sexual identity, race/ethnicity, and their intersections-stratified by sex. We developed multivariable weighted logistic regression models to examine the impact of selected correlates on lifetime asthma prevalence. Results. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths have significant disparities in asthma prevalence compared with heterosexual peers. Moreover, across sex, higher prevalence of lifetime asthma was seen for most sexual identity and race/ethnicity subpopulations (27 of 30) when compared with White heterosexual sex-matched participants. Selected traditional risk factors (overweight, obese, and smoking) and bullying tended to attenuate odds among groups, especially those with a minority sexual identity. Conclusions. Asthma inequities at the intersection of sexual identity and race/ethnicity are substantive. Future studies should investigate the mechanisms contributing to these disparities to promote health equity among vulnerable youth populations. ( Am J Public Health . Published online ahead of print May 21, 2020: e1-e8. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2020.305664).