Comparisons Between Smoking Patterns Among Sexual Minority Females and Males in Romantic Relationships

Abstract

Purpose. Several studies have noted sexual minority disparities in tobacco smoking; however, few studies have examined the role of intimate partners in these different smoking behaviors among sexual minority men and women. Furthermore, few studies distinguish between intermittent and daily smokers. Thus, this study sought to examine whether perceptions of their partner’s smoking behaviors were associated with their own smoking behaviors in a sample of sexual minority adults in romantic relationships. Method. In total, 898 participants (413 sexual minority females and 485 sexual minority males) completed a one-time online anonymous survey. Results. Approximately one third of the sample reported smoking, with 21.2% daily smokers and 9.8% intermittent smokers. Multinomial regression results revealed that for both sexual minority females and males having a partner who was a daily or intermittent smoker was associated with an increased odds of being a daily smoker, whereas having a partner who was an intermittent smoker was associated with an increased odds of being an intermittent smoker. Conclusions. These findings provide valuable information on the need to attend to romantic partners and consider tailored programming to account for different smoking patterns and partners’ potential role in reinforcing smoking.