Excerpt

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals experience unique health disparities. Although the acronym LGBT is used as an umbrella term, and the health needs of this community are often grouped together, each of these letters represents a distinct population with its own health concerns. Furthermore, among lesbians, gay men, bisexual men and women, and transgender people, there are subpopulations based on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographic location, age, and other factors. Although a modest body of knowledge on LGBT health has been developed, these populations, stigmatized as sexual and gender minorities, have been the subject of relatively little health research. As a result, a number of questions arise: What is currently known about the health status of LGBT populations? Where do gaps in the research exist? What are the priorities for a research agenda to address these gaps?

At the request of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Institute of Medicine convened a consensus committee to answer these questions. The 17-member Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health Issues and Research Gaps and Opportunities comprised experts in the fields of mental health, biostatistics, clinical medicine, adolescent health and development, aging, parenting, behavioral sciences, HIV research, demography, racial and ethnic disparities, and health services. The committee was asked to conduct a review and prepare a report assessing the state of the science on the health status of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations; identify research gaps and opportunities; and outline a research agenda that will assist NIH in enhancing its research efforts in this area.

Contents

• The National Academies
• Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health Issues and Research Gaps and Opportunities
• Reviewers
• Preface
• Summary
  • STUDY APPROACH
  • CONTEXT FOR UNDERSTANDING LGBT HEALTH
  • CHALLENGES TO CONDUCTING RESEARCH ON LGBT POPULATIONS
  • HEALTH STATUS OVER THE LIFE COURSE
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
• 1. Introduction
  • THE LGBT COMMUNITY
  • STATEMENT OF TASK AND STUDY SCOPE
  • STUDY APPROACH
  • REPORT ORGANIZATION
  • REFERENCES
• 2. Context for LGBT Health Status in the United States
  • DEFINING GENDER IDENTITY, GENDER EXPRESSION, AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION
  • HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
  • A DEMOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW OF LGBT POPULATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES
  • BARRIERS TO ACCESSING HEALTH CARE
  • THE CASE OF HIV/AIDS
  • SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
  • REFERENCES
• 3. Conducting Research on the Health Status of LGBT Populations
  • RESEARCH CHALLENGES
  • RESEARCH METHODS
  • DATA SOURCES
  • BEST-PRACTICE PRINCIPLES ASSOCIATED WITH SAMPLE SURVEY AND RESEARCH STUDIES
  • SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
  • REFERENCES
• 4. Childhood/Adolescence
  • DEVELOPMENT OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY
  • MENTAL HEALTH STATUS
  • PHYSICAL HEALTH STATUS
  • RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS
  • HEALTH SERVICES
  • CONTEXTUAL INFLUENCES
  • SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
  • REFERENCES
• 5. Early/Middle Adulthood
  • DEVELOPMENT OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY
  • MENTAL HEALTH STATUS
  • PHYSICAL HEALTH STATUS
  • RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS
  • HEALTH SERVICES
  • CONTEXTUAL INFLUENCES
  • SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
  • REFERENCES
• 6. Later Adulthood
  • DEVELOPMENT OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY
  • MENTAL HEALTH STATUS
  • PHYSICAL HEALTH STATUS
  • HIV/AIDS
  • RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS
  • HEALTH SERVICES
  • CONTEXTUAL INFLUENCES
  • SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
  • REFERENCES
• 7. Recommendations
  • RESEARCH AGENDA
  • DATA COLLECTION
  • METHODOLOGICAL RESEARCH
  • RESEARCH TRAINING
  • POLICY ON RESEARCH PARTICIPATION
• Acronyms and Abbreviations
• Appendixes
  • A Study Activities
  • B Literature Review
  • C Glossary
  • D Biosketches of Committee Members and Staff

This study was supported by Contract No. N01-OD-4-2139 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Institutes of Health. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

Suggested citation:

IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2011. The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.