224798 Identifying transgender respondents on general population surveys: Measurement approaches and related issues and considerations

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM

Kerith Conron, ScD, MPH , Institute on Urban Health Research, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
The inclusion of sexual orientation measures in several health surveillance surveys has provided substantial evidence of population health disparities. However, questions about sexual orientation fail to identify all members of the LGBT population. Insufficient knowledge about how to identify transgender respondents on general population surveys is a barrier to documenting and improving the health status of the highly marginalized transgender community. This presentation will provide an overview of measurement approaches that can be used to identify transgender respondents on population health surveys. Approaches include single-item measures that ask respondents if they are transgender, transgender-inclusive measures of gender, and measuring sex and gender separately to identify participants who report discordant responses. Results from a mixed methods adolescent (n=112) gender measurement development study and the adult Massachusetts Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey will be presented to illustrate issues and considerations related to these measurement approaches.

Learning Areas:
Epidemiology
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Attendees will be able to: 1) articulate measurement approaches to identify transgender survey respondents on general population surveys, 2) describe considerations related to measures, mode of data collection, sample size and composition (e.g., adolescent, adult), and, 3) list at least two areas where further methodological research is needed.

Keywords: Surveillance, Health Disparities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I conducted the research that I will present.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4044.0: Measuring Sexual Orientation in General Health Surveys: Revealing the State of LGBT Population Health