Global health burden and needs of transgender populations: a review.
Transgender people are a diverse population affected by a range of negative health indicators across high-income, middle-income, and low-income settings. Studies consistently document a high prevalence of adverse health outcomes in this population, including HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, mental health distress, and substance use and abuse. However, many other health areas remain understudied, population-based representative samples and longitudinal studies are few, and routine surveillance efforts for transgender population health are scarce. The absence of survey items with which to identify transgender respondents in general surveys often restricts the availability of data with which to estimate the magnitude of health inequities and characterise the population-level health of transgender people globally. Despite the limitations, there are sufficient data highlighting the unique biological, behavioural, social, and structural contextual factors surrounding health risks and resiliencies for transgender people. To mitigate these risks and foster resilience, a comprehensive approach is needed that includes gender affirmation as a public health framework, improved health systems and access to health care informed by high quality data, and effective partnerships with local transgender communities to ensure responsiveness of and cultural specificity in programming. Consideration of transgender health underscores the need to explicitly consider sex and gender pathways in epidemiological research and public health surveillance more broadly.
Division of General Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: sari.reisner@childrens.harvard.edu.
Sari L
SL
Reisner
Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Tonia
T
Poteat
Center of Excellence for Transgender Health, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
JoAnne
J
Keatley
Global Action for Trans* Equality, Buenos Aires, Argentina and New York, NY, USA.
Mauro
M
Cabral
MATRIX, Lesotho, Africa.
Tampose
T
Mothopeng
Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA; Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA.
Emilia
E
Dunham
Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Claire E
CE
Holland
Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Ryan
R
Max
Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Stefan D
SD
Baral
D014943:Global Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D008603:Mental Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D060728:Reproductive Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D057545:Social Stigma; D063106:Transgender Persons / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014189:Transsexualism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D005260:Female