Adding Sexual Orientation Questions to Statewide Public Health Surveillance: New Mexico's Experience

We examined refusal rates for sensitive demographic questions to determine whether questions on sexual orientation are too sensitive for routine use on public health surveys We compared the percent age of active refusals in New Mexico for a sexual orientation question and 6 other sensitive demographic questions In 2007 and 2008 refusal rates for sexual orientation questions were similar to rates for questions on race/ethnicity and weight and significantly lower than rates for questions on household income Perceptions that sexual orientation is too controversial a topic to be included on state surveys may be unfounded (Am J Public Health 2010 100 2392-2396 doi 10 2105/AJPH 2009 186270)