Abstract

The purpose of this study is to assess barriers in healthcare access faced by sexual minorities utilizing data from the 2023 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and comparing the results to similar research by Dahlhamer et al., a group of researchers that utilized the 2013 NHIS. Recreating Dahlhamer et al.’s methodology to enable comparison, a multinomial logistic regression model was conducted along with a two-tailed significance test, and descriptive statistics were collected. The results revealed that sexual minorities face significant barriers to healthcare access in 2023, especially cost-related barriers. Cost-related barriers to healthcare worsened from 2013 to 2023, but non-cost-related barriers slightly improved. Bisexual individuals face the highest prevalence of barriers to care compared to Gay/Lesbian and Straight individuals in 2013 and 2023. This study highlights the need for continued attention to healthcare equity in the United States.

Advisor

Kelvey, Robert

Department

Statistical and Data Sciences

Disciplines

Applied Statistics | Statistical Models

Keywords

LGBT, Healthcare, Queer, Multinomial Logistic Regression

Publication Date

2025

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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