Evolving Primary Care Utilization of Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming People at a Community Sexual Health Clinic
Abstract
Purpose: Prior research has found that transgender people are less likely to have access to health care and health insurance than their cisgender peers and are more likely to delay seeking care due to systemic discrimination and stigma. To this end, this study seeks to measure transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) clients' primary care utilization and compare them to their cisgender peers.
Methods: Demographic data and self-reported primary care utilization from 14,372 clients attending a community health center in Los Angeles, CA, from 2018 to 2020 were examined. Descriptive statistics and multivariable regression analyses were used to examine correlates of gender identity on primary care utilization metrics—Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations and recent primary care visits.
Results: Of TGNC clients, 38.0% reported being vaccinated for Hepatitis A compared to 49.2% of cisgender clients (p<0.01) and 42.6% reported being vaccinated for Hepatitis B compared to 51.6% of cisgender clients (p<0.01). TGNC clients had higher odds of engaging with the HPV vaccination series than their cisgender peers (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=1.28, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03–1.59). TGNC clients had higher odds of seeing their primary care provider within the preceding 2 years (aOR=1.72, 95% CI 1.01–2.93) compared to non-TGNC clients.
Conclusions: This study's results found that TGNC clients were more likely to access certain primary care services more often than their cisgender counterparts. Our results support the efficacy of such interventions, such as a health care setting designed to support the health of gender minority people, and see similar, if not greater, primary care engagement in transgender persons compared to their cisgender peers.
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Disclaimer
The data for this study were extracted from the Center's sexual health clinic. The article has no prior presentations or abstract publications.
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Cite this article as: Jann JT, Cunningham NJ, Assaf RD, Krysiak RC, Herman D (2022) Evolving primary care utilization of transgender and gender-nonconforming people at a community sexual health clinic, Transgender Health 7:4, 340–347, DOI: 10.1089/trgh.2021.0064.
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Published In
Transgender Health
Volume 7 • Issue Number 4 • August 2022
Pages: 340 - 347
Copyright
Copyright 2022, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.
History
Published in print: August 2022
Published online: 1 August 2022
Published ahead of print: 17 November 2021
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Authors' Contributions
J.T.J. was responsible for analysis and interpretation of the data, design, drafting, critically revising the article, and final approval. N.J.C. was responsible for the conception, design, interpretation of data, and critically revising the article. R.D.A. was responsible for design, interpretation of data, and critically revising the article. R.C.K. assisted in drafting and critically revised the article. D.H. assisted in drafting and revised the article. All co-authors have reviewed and approved of the submitted article.
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No competing financial interests exist.
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No funding was received for this article.
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