Welcome to the CHLEW Study!
Welcome to the Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women (CHLEW) Study. The CHLEW is a 23-year long study focusing on sexual minority women (individuals who currently or previously identified as lesbian, bisexual, or queer women). The study first began interviewing participants in 2001 and added an additional group of participants from 2010-2012. We recently wrapped up with our fifth and final wave of interviews in 2022.
Although the 23-year “parent” study has now come to a close, we are still working on affiliated studies. CHLEW participants, please keep your eyes out for more information about opportunities to participate coming soon!
Sexual minority women have been largely ignored in health research, and the little attention given to them has too often been problem focused. Dr. Hughes and her team designed the CHLEW study to gain a ‘whole person’ understanding of health—of both the stressors that sexual minority women face, and their substantial strengths and resilience. The study is also designed to address many of the limitations of earlier research, such as the predominant focus on white, highly-educated, relatively young women, and the short-term nature of prior research.
Because we have collected information about a wide variety of health topics and life experiences over time, we are in the unique position of being able to evaluate changes that may have occurred following the historic legalization of same-sex marriage in the US and during 2016-2020 when the US had a conservative president. The CHLEW study has produced a wealth of knowledge, including more than 60 published articles, to inform researchers, clinicians, and policymakers about the lived experiences of women who currently or once identified as sexual minority.
Our affiliated studies
Several sister studies and sub studies which draw from our long-time group of participants have also been funded.
CHLEW Couples study—This study hopes to interview all CHLEW participants who are in committed relationships or a dating relationship of at least three months, along with their partners of any gender. Again, taking a ‘whole person’ approach, the CHLEW Couples study seeks to understand how intimate relationships and minority stress impact the health and well-being of sexual minority women and their partners.
CHLEW Sisters study—This study aims to interview CHLEW study participants and their heterosexual biological sister to better understand how sexual identity and traumatic life experiences related to cardiovascular disease risk.
Daily Diary study—Women from the CHLEW who identified as bisexual were recruited to participate in an electronic diary study to examine the health effects of microaggressions.
COVID study—We have received funding for two studies related to COVID-19. The first was a qualitative study that included in-depth, open -ended interviews with 18 diverse women about their their experiences during the pandemic. The second is an on-line survey of all CHLEW participants. This study aims to gain a fuller understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on multiple aspects of participants’ lives.
Columbia University Center for Sexual and Gender Minority Health Research
We are proud to be a part of a new Center dedicated to improving the health and well-being of sexual and gender minority (SGM) people. The Center is directed by our very own Dr. Tonda Hughes, and focuses on promoting research to reduce SGM-related health disparities and improve health, mentoring the next generation of SGM researchers, and spreading knowledge to others.
