A BC-CfE-led team of interdisciplinary researchers recently published their work in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality examining the cardiovascular health of an understudied subgroup among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM)-“ Assessing Bear/Cub/Otter identity and history of cardiovascular disease among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Metro Vancouver”
The BC-CfE study focused on gbMSM who identified as Bears, Cubs or Otters and associations with cardiovascular health. Developing in the 1980s in San Francisco, Bear subculture emerged as a group of burly, heavy, and fleshy men juxtaposed against the emaciated and wasted appearance of people with AIDS. Cubs are younger Bears and Otters are slimmer than Bears/Cubs but also hirsute. While the mainstream gay community at the time tended to favour young, hairless, and muscular bodies, the nascent Bear community celebrated a counterculture of sexual attractiveness by eroticizing older, larger weight, and hairy bodies. However, associated with larger weight are concerns about cardiovascular health.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for one-third of deaths globally, and research on the topic has largely focused on individual-level risk factors and has rarely explored CVD risk specific to gbMSM. Through a systematic review of the scant literature of CVD among sexual minorities, we know sexual minority men have a higher risk for CVD compared with heterosexual men. Moreover, gbMSM are more likely to report risk factors of CVD like increased stress, alcohol consumption, and tobacco use compared with heterosexual peers. However, while some risk factors for CVD are higher among gbMSM, such as alcohol and tobacco use, other factors such as body mass index (BMI) and hypertension have been found to be lower, or not significantly different, compared to heterosexual men.
In order to study the linkages between CVD and the Bear/Cub/Otteridentity, BC-CfE researchers gathered data from 744 gbMSM participants in Metro Vancouver from February 2012 to February 2018. Questionnaire items for the participants assessed history such as doctor-diagnosed diabetes, cancer, chronic kidney disease, stomach ulcers and more. Information on current physical health and use of prescribed/non-prescribed medication was also collected.
In the end, the findings suggest BMI is more indicative of a cardiovascular health condition than the Bear/Cub/Otter identity alone.
Our findings suggest cardiovascular health concerns may not specifically pertain to gbMSM who identify as Bear/Cub/Otter, but interventions should be targeted to all gbMSM who have increased risk for CVD. It is important for clinicians to understand the role that a large body size plays among Bear and cub-identified patients; thus, they should provide non-judgmental advice regarding health and weight loss. Framing body-positive conversations about health will be crucial when discussing risk of CVD, screening for cardiovascular risk factors and providing culturally sensitive care,
– as the research paper states