Jimcosky, Amanda
(2023)
HEALTH DISPARITIES ASSOCIATED WITH DISORDERED EATING AND ANOREXIA NERVOSA IN TRANSGENDER AND GENDER-DIVERSE INDIVIDUALS.
Master Essay, University of Pittsburgh.
Abstract
Introduction: Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals are people whose gender identity does not align with their sex assigned at birth. These individuals are at increased risk for eating disorders (EDs) such as anorexia nervosa (AN). Engaging in these behaviors may impact epigenetic regulation of genes and long-term metabolic health outcomes.
Data and Methods: The 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) data was downloaded from https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/annual_data/annual_2021.html. Stata/SE 17.0 was used for all data analysis. A sample of survey variables was used to address research questions about TGD individuals’ health-related experiences.
Results: For the 2021 BRFSS data, 97.9% (n=240,516) of the sample identified themselves as cisgender while 0.6% (n=1,513) identified themselves as TGD. 24.6% of TGD respondents re-ported having worse general health, compared to 16.8% of cisgender respondents. 65.2% of the TGD respondents reported experiencing poor health days in the past 30 days, compared to 45.3% of cisgender respondents. Cisgender respondents were more likely than TGD respondents to have a diagnosed health condition (19.5% vs. 15.4%). Compared to TGD respondents, cisgender re-spondents were more likely to have had a checkup in the last year (77.9% vs. 62.6%), less likely to have experienced a cost barrier to seeking healthcare (10.9% vs. 23.4%), more likely to have a primary source of insurance (94.6% vs. 91.6%), and more likely to have a primary health care pro-vider (PHCP; 89.1% vs. 83.3). TGD respondents were less likely than cisgender respondents to report daily fruit (51.8% vs. 58.9%) and vegetable (74.6% vs. 90.8%) consumption.
Conclusion: The number of TGD individuals in the BRFSS sample was low, but the pro-portion was greater than the estimated proportion of TGD adults living in the U.S. The results indicate that TGD individuals may have worse general health, more poor health days, fewer di-agnosed health conditions, more barriers to care, and a lower tendency to eat fruits and vegeta-bles. The BRFSS did not assess disordered eating, but ED/DEB presence may exacerbate health inequities. The public health relevance of this project is the evidence of disproportionate health burdens in the TGD population, as it pertains to ED/DEBs and long-term health outcomes.
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Details
| Item Type: |
Other Thesis, Dissertation, or Long Paper
(Master Essay)
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| Contributors: |
| Contribution | Contributors Name | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
|---|
| Committee Chair | Tripp, Oliver | amt6840@psu.edu | UNSPECIFIED | UNSPECIFIED | | Committee Member | Minster, Ryan | rminster@pitt.edu | rminster | UNSPECIFIED | | Committee Member | Egan, James E | jee48@pitt.edu | jee48 | UNSPECIFIED |
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| Date: |
17 May 2023 |
| Date Type: |
Completion |
| Submission Date: |
28 April 2023 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
86 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Public Health > Human Genetics |
| Degree: |
MPH - Master of Public Health |
| Thesis Type: |
Master Essay |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Anorexia Nervosa, Disordered Eating, Transgender, Gender-Diverse, Health Disparities |
| Date Deposited: |
17 May 2023 19:06 |
| Last Modified: |
17 May 2023 19:06 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/44796 |
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