FEATURE
VAPE WITH
PRIDE
The LGBT + community presents higher rates of smoking each year , so what can be done to introduce the idea of safer alternatives ?
Words : Caroline Barry
While smoking rates appear to be on the decline , one group that has recorded higher than normal figures is the LGBT + community . It is estimated that around seven in ten LGBT + people smoke , so what can be done to reduce these rates ? A three-year study of just under 8,000 adult smokers revealed that those who came out as bisexual were twice as likely in comparison to heterosexual participants to start smoking . It found that coming out as lesbian , gay or another non-straight identity did not mean a person was more likely to smoke . Its authors say that it is less to do with a particular sexual identity but more to do with identifying , ‘ critical periods of vulnerability ’ such as the stress of coming out , entering the LGBT + scene or dealing with stigma . “ This approach revealed disparities that would have otherwise been missed if we measured identity at one time point , or grouped all LGBT + identities together ,” said study leader Alyssa Harlow of Boston University . The report suggested that future research should address the reasons why changing sexual identity is closely linked to smoking in order to tailor better smoking prevention programs for this community . While bisexual rates are higher than any other part of the LGBT + flag , there are also high numbers of gay or lesbian smokers too . But the more that brands attempt to move into LGBT + spaces by engaging in pride parades or releasing
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