Mortality in Postmenopausal Women by Sexual Orientation and Veteran Status

Keren Lehavot; Eileen Rillamas-Sun; Julie Weitlauf; Rachel Kimerling; Robert B. Wallace; Anne G. Sadler; Nancy Fugate Woods; Jillian C. Shipherd; Kristin Mattocks; Dominic J. Cirillo; Marcia L. Stefanick; Tracy L. Simpson

doi:10.1093/geront/gnv125

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Mortality in Postmenopausal Women by Sexual Orientation and Veteran Status

Journal article

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Peer reviewed

Mortality in Postmenopausal Women by Sexual Orientation and Veteran Status

Keren Lehavot, Eileen Rillamas-Sun, Julie Weitlauf, Rachel Kimerling, Robert B. Wallace, Anne G. Sadler, Nancy Fugate Woods, Jillian C. Shipherd, Kristin Mattocks, Dominic J. Cirillo, …

The Gerontologist, Vol.56(1), pp.S150-S162

02/01/2016

DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnv125

PMCID: PMC5881613

PMID: 26768389

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Abstract

Purpose of the Study: To examine differences in all-cause and cause-specific mortality by sexual orientation and Veteran status among older women. Design and Methods: Data were from the Women's Health Initiative, with demographic characteristics, psychosocial factors, and health behaviors assessed at baseline (1993-1998) and mortality status from all available data sources through 2014. Women with baseline information on lifetime sexual behavior and Veteran status were included in the analyses (N = 137,639; 1.4% sexual minority, 2.5% Veteran). The four comparison groups included sexual minority Veterans, sexual minority non-Veterans, heterosexual Veterans, and heterosexual non-Veterans. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate mortality risk adjusted for demographic, psychosocial, and health variables. Results: Sexual minority women had greater all-cause mortality risk than heterosexual women regardless of Veteran status (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07-1.36) and women Veterans had greater all-cause mortality risk than non-Veterans regardless of sexual orientation (HR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.06-1.22), but the interaction between sexual orientation and Veteran status was not significant. Sexual minority women were also at greater risk than heterosexual women for cancer-specific mortality, with effects stronger among Veterans compared to non-Veterans (sexual minority x Veteran HR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.01-2.85). Implications: Postmenopausal sexual minority women in the United States, regardless of Veteran status, may be at higher risk for earlier death compared to heterosexuals. Sexual minority women Veterans may have higher risk of cancer-specific mortality compared to their heterosexual counterparts. Examining social determinants of longevity may be an important step to understanding and reducing these disparities.

Gerontology

Geriatrics & Gerontology

Life Sciences & Biomedicine

Science & Technology

Details

Title: Subtitle: Mortality in Postmenopausal Women by Sexual Orientation and Veteran Status
Creators: Keren Lehavot - VA Puget Sound Health Care System
Eileen Rillamas-Sun - VA Puget Sound Health Care System
Julie Weitlauf - VA Palo Alto Health Care System
Rachel Kimerling - VA Palo Alto Health Care System
Robert B. Wallace - University of Iowa
Anne G. Sadler - Iowa City VA Medical Center
Nancy Fugate Woods - University of Washington
Jillian C. Shipherd - Boston University School of Medicine
Kristin Mattocks - University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Dominic J. Cirillo - University of Rochester
Marcia L. Stefanick - Stanford University
Tracy L. Simpson - Center for Excellence in Education
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: The Gerontologist, Vol.56(1), pp.S150-S162
DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnv125
PMID: 26768389
PMCID: PMC5881613
NLM abbreviation: Gerontologist
ISSN: 0016-9013
eISSN: 1758-5341
Publisher: Oxford Univ Press
Number of pages: 13
Grant note: FOB14-439 / Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Health Services Research and Development Service; US Department of Veterans Affairs P30CA086862 / NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Cancer Institute (NCI) HHSN268201100046C; HHSN268201100001C; HHSN268201100002C; HHSN268201100003C; HHSN268201100004C; HHSN271201100004C / National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Heart Lung & Blood Institute (NHLBI) VA Office of Women's Health IK2 CX000867 / Clinical Science Research and Development (CSR&D) Career Development Award
Language: English
Date published: 02/01/2016
Academic Unit: Psychiatry; Epidemiology; Injury Prevention Research Center; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9984281753302771

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