Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Bears and Other Gay Men: A Descriptive Study from Poland.

Magdalena Mijas,Grazyna Jasienska,Karolina Koziara,Andrzej Galbarczyk

doi:10.3390/ijerph18031044

Abstract

A risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is increased by multiple factors including psychosocial stress and health behaviors. Sexual minority men who identify as Bears form a subculture distinguished by characteristics associated with increased CVD risk such as elevated stress and high body weight. However, none of the previous studies comprehensively investigated CVD risk in this population. Our study compared Bears (N = 31) with other gay men (N = 105) across a wide range of CVD risk factors. Logistic regression and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) models were performed to compare both groups concerning behavioral (e.g., physical activity), medical (e.g., self-reported hypertension), and psychosocial (e.g., depressiveness) CVD risk factors. Bears were characterized by older age and higher body mass index (BMI) than the control group. We also observed higher resilience, self-esteem, as well as greater prevalence of self-reported hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia in Bears. None of these differences remained statistically significant after adjusting for age and, in the case of self-reported diagnosis of diabetes, both age and BMI. Our study demonstrates that Bears are characterized by increased CVD risk associated predominantly with older age and higher BMI. Health promotion interventions addressed to this community should be tailored to Bears’ subcultural norms and should encourage a healthier lifestyle instead of weight loss.

Highlights

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide and annually accounts for most deaths associated with noncommunicable diseases [1]
We focused on comparing men identified as Bears with other gay men with regard to cardiovascular disease risk factors, including (i) psychosocial characteristics, such as exposure to stigma, self-esteem, resilience, and depressiveness; (ii) behavioral characteristics, such as dietary habits, physical activity, tobacco use, and patterns of alcohol consumption; and (iii) medical indicators, such as diagnoses of hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and body mass index
With our expectations, Bears were characterized by increased levels of all medical CVD risk factors, including higher body mass index (BMI), increased frequency of self-reported diagnoses of hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia

Summary

Introduction

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide and annually accounts for most deaths associated with noncommunicable diseases [1]. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease include both behavioral characteristics such as dietary habits, limited physical activity, tobacco use or alcohol consumption, and medical indicators such as high systolic blood pressure, high body mass index, high fasting plasma glucose, and high total cholesterol [2]. Another group of factors that has been studied extensively in the context of CVD is exposure to stress and related mental health adversities such as depressiveness [4]. Psychosocial factors combined with smoking, abnormal lipids, diabetes, hypertension, abdominal obesity, irregular consumption of fruits and vegetables, alcohol intake, and limited physical activity contribute to more than

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