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Sampling in Surveys of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual People

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The Health of Sexual Minorities

Abstract

One purpose of this volume is to provide methodological tools for conducting public health research for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) populations. Among the most fundamental methodological considerations in any kind of research is how best to sample the population of interest. The importance of sampling in health research among LGB people can be seen in how the medical profession initially came to consider homosexuality a mental disorder. The “evidence” supporting such judgments came from studies of psychiatrists’ patients and inmates in mental hospitals and prisons. The possibility that such samples might be biased—that is, that these individuals might not be representative of homosexuals who were not in treatment or institutionalized—was not considered seriously, in large part due to prevailing attitudes about homosexuality. Nevertheless, the historical lesson of how poor sampling can create significant problems for the health and well-being of LGB people should be enough to make all of us ardent promoters of the use of sound sampling procedures in public health research.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

    Diane Binson, David M. Huebner & William J. Woods

  2. Abt Associates, Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Johnny Blair

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  1. Diane Binson
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  2. Johnny Blair
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  3. David M. Huebner
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  4. William J. Woods
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Ilan H. Meyer PhD  & Mary E. Northridge PhD, MPH  & 

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Binson, D., Blair, J., Huebner, D.M., Woods, W.J. (2007). Sampling in Surveys of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual People. In: Meyer, I.H., Northridge, M.E. (eds) The Health of Sexual Minorities. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-31334-4_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-31334-4_15

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