HIV/AIDS & Heart Disease Should Be Nation’s Top Health Care Priorities.

According to national survey results released by Witeck-Combs Communications and Harris Interactive, when asked to identify (from among 22 current health issues) which they feel should be the nation’s top three health care priorities, a majority of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) adults indicated that HIV/AIDS (66%) should be a top health care priority followed by heart disease (29%). Among heterosexual adults surveyed, 42% believed that heart disease should be a top national health care priority, followed by 35% who selected HIV/AIDS as a top priority. Equal proportions of GLBT and heterosexual adults (22% each) indicated that obesity should be a top national health care priority.

GLBT and heterosexual adults also indicated some concerns for their personal health. Both groups agreed that “being overweight” worried them the most as a personal health risk (28% GLBT vs. 19% heterosexual). Following this, these groups diverge—GLBT adults were more worried about environmental hazards (15%) whereas heterosexual adults were more concerned about becoming disabled (12%).

These are highlights of a nationwide Witeck-Combs Communications/Harris Interactive study of 2,271adults, of whom about six percent (6%) self-identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (GLBT). The survey was conducted online between February 19 and 25, 2003 by Harris Interactive®, a worldwide market research and consulting firm, in conjunction with Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc., a strategic public relations and marketing communications firm with special expertise in the GLBT market.

“It is interesting to see where GLBT and heterosexuals in this survey agree and disagree,” said Colleen Dermody, vice president for Witeck-Combs Communications. “That Americans want the nation’s health care focus to be on HIV/AIDS, heart disease and the causes of obesity is not surprising—and the large GLBT community response to the HIV/AIDS focus reinforces the need for continued national attention toward that epidemic.”

Some other key findings from this survey include:

Nearly a quarter (23%) of heterosexual adults indicated that substance/drug use should be a top health care priority, compared to 12% of GLBT adults.

Eleven (11%) of GLBT adults said they are worried about depression/anxiety as a personal health risk, compared to 6% of heterosexuals.

Nearly one out of four (24%) GLBT adults said they have deliberately withheld information about their sexual practices from their doctor or other health care professional, compared to heterosexual adults (5%).

When choosing a doctor or health care professional, GLBT adults say it is as important to them that a provider is known to be “gay-friendly” (25%) as it is to have that provider covered by their insurance plan (24%). For heterosexual adults, having their provider covered by their health insurance plan is the most important factor (39%).

Although majorities of GLBT and heterosexual respondents reported that they have not been discriminated against in a health care setting (76% GLBT vs. 86% heterosexual), there are GLBT (24%) and heterosexual adults (14%) who have experienced discrimination in such settings.

“In this survey, nearly one in four GLBT respondents reported they had been discriminated against in a health care setting,” said A. Cornelius Baker, executive director of Whitman-Walker Clinic, Washington, D.C. “Obviously, we are concerned about the potential gaps in care among these health care consumers.”

“Even though the percentages may be small, the fact that people acknowledge withholding information that may help doctors provide better quality medical treatment should be of serious concern to the medical community,” said David Krane, senior vice president for Harris Interactive.

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Notes on reading tables:

GLBT refers to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender respondents. The percentage of respondents has been included for each item. An asterisk (*) signifies a value of less than one-half percent. A dash represents a value of zero. Percentages may not always add up to 100% because of computer rounding or the acceptance of multiple answers from respondents answering that question.

Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive between February 19 and February 25, 2003, among a nationwide cross section of 2,271 adults (ages 18+). Of those adults surveyed approximately six percent (6%), self-identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (GLBT). Figures for age, sex, race, education and number of adults in the household were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. “Propensity score” weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

In theory, with a probability sample of this size (for the total sample), one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus two percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been polled with complete accuracy. Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be interviewed (non-response), question wording and question order, interviewer bias, weighting by demographic control data and screening (e.g., for likely voters). It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors. This online survey is not a probability sample.