Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people: key points

These pages describe health and risk factor information currently available for the lesbian, gay and bisexual population in Scotland. These terms are used to describe sexual orientation and refer to whether an individual is predominantly attracted to someone of the same sex or of both the same sex and opposite sex. This should be distinguished from definitions based on sexual behaviour.

The focus of this section is on data from routine sources and the section does not provide a systematic review of research literature. However as the routine sources are very limited some key research studies are identified.

• We do not know exactly how many lesbian, gay or bisexual people live in Scotland. Around 5% of men and women report ever having had a same sex partner.
• The majority of health services research studies involving lesbian, gay, bisexual people have concentrated on sexual health issues although it is likely that other health issues are of equal or greater importance.
• Cross-sectional surveys from England and Wales have found that lesbian, gay and bisexual people are more likely to report mental health problems than heterosexual people.
• Some researchers have found higher levels of smoking among the lesbian, gay and bisexual population but this finding is not consistent in all studies.