Background: In the United States, 1 in 6 women report a lifetime prevalence of sexual assault. Few population-based studies have examined the association between sexual assault victimization on health care utilization and unhealthy behaviors.
Objective: To assess the relationship between experiencing sexual assault and health care utilization and unhealthy behaviors among a state-wide representative sample of Connecticut adults.
Design and participants: Cross-sectional study of 4183 Connecticut residents who responded to sexual assault questions in the 2005 telephone-based Connecticut State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (CT-BRFSS).
Main measures: Health care utilization and unhealthy behaviors among residents reporting sexual assault.
Results: Approximately one out of eleven Connecticut adults (9.4%) experienced sexual assault at some point in their life. Among adults aged 65 years and older, 4.3% reported sexual assault compared to 11.2% of adults aged 18-34 years, (p < 0.001). Among men, 3.7% reported sexual assault victimization versus 14.6% of women, (p < 0.001). After controlling for sociodemographic factors, victims of forced sexual assault were less likely to have seen a physician in the previous 12 months for a routine checkup (Odds ratio [OR]: 1.49, 95%: 1.07-2.07) and more likely to report being unable to see a doctor because of cost (OR: 2.72, 95% CI: 1.70-4.34). Victims were more likely to currently smoke (OR: 2.01, 95% CI: 1.34-3.00) and drink heavily (OR: 3.30, 95% CI: 2.01-5.42) than those reporting no sexual assault.
Conclusions: For Connecticut adults, sexual assault victimization was associated with infrequent usage of some primary care health services and higher risks of unhealthy behaviors. Increased community-level interventions and public health outreach programs are needed to provide health-care services to this high-risk group.