Gender Expression,Violence, and Bullying Victimization: Findings From Probability Samples of High School Students in 4 US School Districts

BACKGROUND

Young people may experience school‐based violence and bullying victimization related to their gender expression, independent of sexual orientation identity. However, the associations between gender expression and bullying and violence have not been examined in racially and ethnically diverse population‐based samples of high school students.

METHODS

This study includes 5469 students (13–18 years) from the 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys conducted in 4 urban school districts. Respondents were 51% Hispanic/Latino, 21% black/African American, 14% white. Generalized additive models were used to examine the functional form of relationships between self‐reported gender expression (range: 1 = Most gender conforming, 7 = Most gender nonconforming) and 5 indicators of violence and bullying victimization. We estimated predicted probabilities across gender expression by sex, adjusting for sexual orientation identity and potential confounders.

RESULTS

Statistically significant quadratic associations indicated that girls and boys at the most gender conforming and nonconforming ends of the scale had elevated probabilities of fighting and fighting‐related injury, compared to those in the middle of the scale (p < .05). There was a significant linear relationship between gender expression and bullying victimization; every unit increase in gender nonconformity was associated with 15% greater odds of experiencing bullying (p < .0001).

CONCLUSIONS

School‐based victimization is associated with conformity and nonconformity to gender norms. School violence prevention programs should include gender diversity education.

     

Physical Activity Disparities in Heterosexual and Sexual Minority Youth Ages 12–22 Years Old: Roles of Childhood Gender Nonconformity and Athletic Self-Esteem

Background

Physical activity is an important health determinant. Little is known about sexual orientation differences in physical activity and their psychosocial determinants.

Purpose

The aim of this study is to examine adolescent and young adult hours/week of moderate/vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and team sports participation by sexual orientation and investigate contributions of gender nonconformity and low athletic self-esteem to possible sexual orientation differences.

Methods

Analysis of data from 5,272 males and 7,507 females from 1999 to 2005 waves of the US Growing Up Today Study (ages 12–22 years).

Results

Sexual minorities (i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual, mostly heterosexual) reported 1.21–2.62 h/week less MVPA (p?<?0.01) and were 46–76 % less likely to participate in team sports than same-gender heterosexuals. Gender nonconformity and athletic self-esteem accounted for 46–100 % of sexual orientation MVPA differences.

Conclusions

Physical activity contexts should be modified to welcome sexual minority males and females. Targeting intolerance of gender nonconformity and fostering athletic self-esteem may mitigate sexual orientation MVPA disparities.     

From microbiota toward gastro-enteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms: Are we on the highway to hell?

Gut microbiota is represented by different microorganisms that colonize the intestinal tract, mostly the large intestine, such as bacteria, fungi, archaea and viruses. The gut microbial balance has a key role in several functions. It modulates the host’s metabolism, maintains the gut barrier integrity, participates in the xenobiotics and drug metabolism, and acts as protection against gastro-intestinal pathogens through the host’s immune system modulation. The impaired gut microbiota, called dysbiosis, may be the result of an imbalance in this equilibrium and is linked with different diseases, including cancer. While most of the studies have focused on the association between microbiota and gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas, very little is known about gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). In this review, we provide an overview concerning the complex interplay between gut microbiota and GEP NENs, focusing on the potential role in tumorigenesis and progression in these tumors.

     

Gay Community Involvement and Condomless Anal Sex Among Sexual Minority Men in the USA

Archives of Sexual Behavior - Sexual minority men (SMM) remain disproportionately burdened by sexually transmitted infections. Although gay community involvement has been theorized to be protective...     

Eating Disorder Symptoms and Obesity at the Intersections of Gender,Ethnicity, and Sexual Orientation in US High School Students

Objectives. We examined purging for weight control, diet pill use, and obesity across sexual orientation identity and ethnicity groups.Methods. Anonymous survey data were analyzed from 24 591 high school students of diverse ethnicities in the federal Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System Survey in 2005 and 2007. Self-reported data were gathered on gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation identity, height, weight, and purging and diet pill use in the past 30 days. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate odds of purging, diet pill use, and obesity associated with sexual orientation identity in gender-stratified models and examined for the presence of interactions between ethnicity and sexual orientation.Results. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) identity was associated with substantially elevated odds of purging and diet pill use in both girls and boys (odds ratios [OR] range =  1.9–6.8). Bisexual girls and boys were also at elevated odds of obesity compared to same-gender heterosexuals (OR = 2.3 and 2.1, respectively).Conclusions. Interventions to reduce eating disorders and obesity that are appropriate for LGB youths of diverse ethnicities are urgently needed.The prevalence of childhood obesity has markedly increased in the past few decades, more than tripling in the last 30 years.1 Obesity in adolescence is especially concerning because of the high risk of immediate- and long-term problems associated with the condition. Obese adolescents are at an elevated risk for high cholesterol, hypertension, prediabetes, bone and joint problems, and sleep apnea.2−5 They are 20 times more likely to become obese adults,6 increasing the odds of long-term health consequences secondary to obesity, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and osteoarthritis.7 Eating disorders and disordered weight-control behaviors, such as purging and diet pill use, represent the third most common chronic childhood illnesses, after obesity and asthma,8 and are associated with a range of serious comorbidities, including disorders of the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and endocrine systems.9 In addition, children and adolescents who are obese have been found to be at increased risk of eating disorder symptoms.10−12These health problems affect individuals during crucial physiological and psychological developmental periods and disproportionately affect marginalized subgroups of youths. Numerous studies have highlighted disparities based on ethnicity,13−17 sexual orientation,18−22 and gender.23−26 However, little is known about how these disparities intersect and the ways in which individuals who are members of multiple minority subgroups may be affected.Minority stress theory posits that members of marginalized social populations are subject to health consequences as a result of experiences of stigma and discrimination associated with possessing a minority identity.27 These stressors may have direct health consequences through chronic perturbations of biological systems or may cause psychological distress, influencing health behaviors (substance use, weight-control behaviors, sexual risk behaviors, etc.) and health care utilization. Multiple minority stress theory focuses on the intersection of ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation and proposes that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people of color are exposed to multiple stressors that may create an additive health disadvantage.28,29 Several population-based studies have supported the additive hypothesis, demonstrating increased prevalence of health risks among LGB people of color compared with their White LGB counterparts, including disparities in mental health disorders,30,31 chronic health conditions,32 adolescent suicide,33 and obesity.34The additive hypothesis of minority stress theory, however, has been scrutinized because it has not been consistently borne out. For example, other studies35,36 found that ethnicity did not modify sexual orientation–related health disparities, and 1 study29 found that being a member of a ethnic minority group had some protective effect on mental health among LGB individuals, specifically for adolescent girls.We found a limited number of studies that addressed health disparities affecting LGB people of color and an even smaller number of studies that addressed adolescents and young adults.29,33,35−37 In addition, no studies, to our knowledge, specifically examined the issue of disordered weight-control behaviors. We were aware of only 1 study that examined the prevalence of obesity among sexual minorities as associated with ethnicity; this study found that Asian Pacific Islanders had lower body mass index (BMI) and African Americans had higher BMI in a sample of lesbian and bisexual women compared with White women.34 The aim of the present study examined how gender and ethnicity were associated with sexual orientation identity disparities in obesity and disordered weight-control behaviors in youths using data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), a biennial survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in US high schools. This study was unique in its focus on disordered weight-control behaviors and obesity, 2 important adolescent health issues in LGB ethnic minority youths, who are an understudied population.     

Efficacy of Unsupervised Self-Collected Mid-Turbinate FLOQSwabs for the Diagnosis of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Context: The Global Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has resulted in explosive patterns of transmission in most countries. Nasopharyngeal swabs were the specimen’s collection tools recommended for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and for monitoring infection outbreaks in communities. Our objective was to report the quality and efficacy of unsupervised self-collected mid turbinate “dry FLOQSwabs” (MT FLOQSwabs) (56380CS01, Copan). There were 111 specimens collected for the study: 36 by health care personnel, from themselves, to verify the quality and efficacy of mid-turbinate swabs; 75 to compare and assess the diagnostic performance, among health care personnel, of nasopharyngeal swabs and self-collected mid-turbinate FLOQSwabs. A collection of 51 specimens was enrolled to define the efficacy of the Testami program (validation). Our analyses demonstrate that self-collected mid-turbinate dry swabs ensure an accuracy of 97.3%, as compared to the standard nasopharyngeal swabs collected by health care workers. Furthermore, the mid-turbinate FLOQSwabs can be stored without medium for six days at room temperature without affecting the molecular diagnosis of the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection. Self-collection of diagnostic specimens at home could offer an avenue to increase testing availability for SARS-CoV-2 infection without asking people to travel to a clinic or a laboratory, thus reducing people’s exposure to infection. Our findings demonstrate that unsupervised self-collection swabs, transported dry, are sensitive, practical and easy-to-use tools and should be considered for diagnosis of SARS-COV-2 and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surveillance.     

Depression,Anxiety, and Interest in Mental Health Resources in School-Based Gender-Sexuality Alliances: Implications for Sexual and Gender Minority Youth Health Promotion

Prevention Science - Schools can be a setting to address mental health needs of sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth. Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs), as extracurricular support groups, provide...