Vaping is more prevalent among LGBTQ+ people than their straight counterparts, according to a new report from the Surgeon General’s office.
The study found that 37.8 percent of adults who identify as LGBTQ+ have tried electronic cigarettes, compared to 16.5 percent of straight adults. Electronic cigarettes in this distinction include basically everything you’re probably already thinking of, by the way – e-cigars, e-pipes, e-hookahs, vaping pens, and hookah pens.
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The data, which was collected between 2019 and 2021, showed that 31.8 percent of gay men, 26.7 percent of lesbian women, and 46.7 percent of bisexual adults have used e-cigarettes.
The numbers are also higher among younger members of the LGBTQ+ community, at 42.1 percent, compared to young people who identify as straight, at 30.3 percent.
“Tobacco use is a singular health threat to LGBTQ+ communities,” Kristy Marynak, a senior science adviser at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told NBC News. “This report finds that nearly one in five of all deaths in the United States are caused by tobacco, and it shines a light on the disproportionate burden borne by certain communities, including LGBTQ+ communities.”
Why Do More LGBTQ+ PEOPLE Vape Than Straight People?
As for why this is the case, the report noted that experiences of sexuality-based harassment were associated with higher odds of e-cigarette use among LGBTQ+ people.
Additionally, the report found that the tobacco industry has targeted the LGBTQ+ community through advertising and coupons, and by touting its “donations to organizations focused on addressing HIV/AIDS and its support” for LGBTQ+ pride.
Xavier Becerra, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, noted that the goal of the report is to shine a light on initiatives that “are expected to meaningfully advance efforts to eliminate the burden of death and disease caused by commercial tobacco use.” To do so, he said, the U.S. “must engage all sectors of society” and “close the gap in tobacco-related health disparities in the United States.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Mandy Cohen, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noted that menthol-flavored tobacco products—which have been found to increase the likelihood of initiation, addiction, and sustained use—”are target marketed to certain population groups,” including the LGBTQ community.
