Landmark Study on Eating Disorders
LGBT HealthLink, 1/16/2020
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First-of-its-kind Study on Gay Men and Eating Disorders
Researchers found that among cisgender gay men, about one in five (21.4%) reported concern about their physical shape and one in ten (10.5%) reported concern about their weight specifically. In addition, 19.8% reported dietary restraint within the past four weeks while 10.1% reported excessive exercise within the same time. Almost all eating disorder research has focused on women, making this study unique – and one made possible by the groundbreaking Pride Study on LGBT health.
NP Fellowship Focuses on LGBT Health
Nurse.com reported on a new nurse practitioner fellowship, set to launch at Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, later this year. The landmark fellowship will help prepare healthcare professionals to serve the estimated 11 million-plus LGBT people living in the U.S. who often find healthcare services lacking. It will cover a wide variety of topics from HIV care to cardiology to reproductive health.
Tweet Opens Mental Health Dialogue
LGBTQ Nation reported on a Tweet regarding LGBT mental health that went viral and that they say is inspiring queer people worldwide. The Tweet says that while LGBT people have to hide their true selves as youth, this presents a “gift in disguise” as one goes on a journey of self-discovery later. The article notes that challenges remain on mental health access, especially for low-income people and people of color.
Cigarette Packaging Has Power to Attract
A new study found that changing the design of a cigarette package to include subtle or even explicit targeting of LGBT populations had the intended effect, and made LGBT folks more interested in the product (regardless of safety). The results suggest that preventing the targeting of LGBT folks, through marketing ploys, could be important in reducing the high tobacco use disparities the community faces.
Center to Fight Opioid Addiction
Your Central Valley reported that The Source LGBT Center in California received a $50,000 grant to fight opioid addiction among LGBT people of color. This population has faced higher penalization for using drugs such as opioids, the article says, and has faced trauma in accessing the healthcare system – with community organizations such as LGBT centers therefore having a key role to play in education and care.
Find out what your local LGBT center is up to using CenterLink’s interactive directory.
NY Offers In-home HIV Testing
Gay City News reported on a New York program that provides in-home HIV test kits to people connected to participating community-based organizations or who apply online. The program has reached a racially diverse group that includes 35% Latinx and 17% Black individuals, but has so far been used mostly by cisgender men, with only up to 5% of each round’s participants being transgender or nonbinary.
