Grant: Operating Grant: Data Analysis Using Existing CDN Databases and Cohorts

Health inequities in Canada are persistent and increasing. These disparities include several chronic diseases, mental health, and life expectancy and are partially attributable to social stigma and discrimination that negatively impacts health behaviours. Limited data from small convenience samples suggest that gender and sexual minority youth exhibit higher levels of unhealthy behaviours such as the use of nicotine products, alcohol consumption, substance use, harmful social media use, physical inactivity, and sleep problems. These behaviours often persist into adulthood, making adolescence a critical period for improving both current and future health outcomes for these potentially vulnerable population groups. This project aims to investigate the levels of five risk-taking behaviours (i.e., cigarette smoking, vaping, alcohol consumption, cannabis use, and problematic social media use) and three health-enhancing behaviours (i.e., physical activity, limited screen time, and adequate sleep) among gender and sexual minority youth. This project will also determine whether these health behaviours differ in the minority youth by comparison to their cis-gender and heterosexual peers. The project will use data from the 2022/2023 Canadian Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, a nationally representative sample of students in grades 6-10 (aged 10-16 years), which for the first time included questions to identify gender and sexual minority youth. The findings will catalyze more research on the health-related behavioural profiles of gender and sexual minority youth. This will ultimately lead to more targeted public health interventions and policies that better address the unique needs of gender and sexual minority youth, who may be at higher risk for certain negative health behaviours while potentially less engaged in health-enhancing behaviours.