 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Emily Newfield, BS, Joint Medical Program, Health and Medical Sciences, University of California, Berkeley - University of California, San Francisco, 570 University Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-1190, 415-642-1239, emnewf@socrates.berkeley.edu
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the health-related quality of life of female-to-male (FTM) transgender individuals using the Short-Form 36-Item Questionniare version 2 (SF36v2). Female-to-male transgender people identify internally with a male gender while their biological gender is female, and often seek hormonal therapy and sex reassignment surgery. We hypothesize that the FTM transgender population as a whole will score “as healthy” or “healthier” than the general US population, although segments of the FTM transgender population may differ in their health scores due to the difficult period of early gender transition. Since the transgender community has found the internet to be a dynamic and accessible forum for creating and maintaining social and information networks, this project also investigates the advantages and disadvantages of using the World Wide Web for health research in a marginalized, web-connected community. A convenience sample of FTM transgender people will be recruited using both electronic and print media and directed to a secure website to receive information about the study and complete the survey. A short demographic questionnaire will screen for eligibility and obtain information about age, zip code, sexual partners, hormonal and surgical treatments, physicians, health insurance, ethnicity, education, and income. If eligibility requirements are satisfied, the participant will be directed to complete the SF36v2 health survey. After completion of the SF36v2 health survey, the participant will be provided their health scores and US population comparison data generated from the 1998 National Survey of Functional Health Status.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Gender, Quality of Life
Related Web page: www.transurvey.com (pending)
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.