Abstract P214: Disparities In Hypertension Medication Adherence Across Sexual Orientations

Abstract

Objective: The LGBTQ community faces unique psychosocial stressors and barriers in access to care. This study seeks to characterize the difference in hypertension (HTN) medication adherence between LGBTQ and straight men and the difference between LGBTQ and straight women. Methods: This cross-sectional study examines 1,905 self-identifying men and 2,349 women, who selected “gay” or “bisexual”, and 66,938 men and 76,464 women, who selected “straight”, for sexual orientation in response to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2016-2021. Other sexual orientations included under the umbrella term, LGBTQ, were not listed as options on the NHIS survey. Unpaired t-test was used to compare the study groups and linear regression was used to calculate slope (m) of the trendline. Statistical analysis was weighted for population size. Results: Gay/bisexual men [x = 70.1%, IQR 3.75%] had significantly lower rates [p < 0.001] of HTN medication adherence compared to straight men [x = 78.1%, IQR 5.5%]. The difference in HTN medication adherence between gay/bisexual women [x = 72.2%, IQR 13.1%] and straight women [x =82.4%, IQR 2.80], was also statistically significant [p = 0.014]. Adherence in both gay/bisexual and straight groups trended upward since 2016; however, the upward trend was steeper for straight men [m= 1.87] and women [m= 0.81] compared to gay/bisexual men [m= 1] and women [m= 0.12]. Conclusion: The findings of this study display significantly lower rates of HTN medication adherence between males and females who identify as gay/bisexual compared to those that identify as straight. Since 2016, the gap in medication adherence between gay/bisexual and straight has continued to widen. As medical systems strive to reduce health disparities across various marginalized groups, further research is needed to delineate potential sources for this difference and devise solutions.