Exploring the health behavior disparities of gay men in the United States: comparing gay male university students to their heterosexual peers.

Abstract

Little is known about the health disparities that affect gay men in the United States. Using data collected from an online Internet-based assessment, we sought to compare health-compromising behaviors of gay male university students to their heterosexual peers. Participants included 1,014 self-reported males. Mean age was 20 years (+/-2.5; range 17-30). Of these men, 43 (4.2%) self identified as gay and 971 (95.8%) self identified as heterosexual. After adjusting for age, race, academic classification, residence type, and clustering within university, gay men had higher odds of reporting inconsistent condom use; reporting multiple partners within the past 30 days; reporting a lifetime history of illicit drug use. Understanding the health behavior disparities between gay and heterosexual men is crucial to identifying associated factors and intervening upon them using appropriate and meaningful tailored strategies to reduce these disparities and improve health outcomes.