Bladder Health Experiences, Perceptions and Knowledge of Sexual and Gender Minorities

Cecilia T. Hardacker, Anna Baccellieri, Elizabeth R. Mueller, Linda Brubaker, Georgia Hutchins, Jory Luc Yimei Zhang and Jeni Hebert-Beirne
Additional contact information
Cecilia T. Hardacker: Howard Brown Health, Chicago, IL 60613, USA
Anna Baccellieri: Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
Elizabeth R. Mueller: Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
Linda Brubaker: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Georgia Hutchins: Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
Jory Luc Yimei Zhang: Howard Brown Health, Chicago, IL 60613, USA
Jeni Hebert-Beirne: Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 17, 1-18

Abstract: While recent efforts have been made to understand the bladder health experiences, perceptions, and knowledge of cisgender adolescent females and women, virtually nothing is known about the bladder health experiences of people who identify as sexual and gender minorities (SGMs). A community-based participatory research approach using a focus group methodology to engage 36 adult participants who identify as SGM, including individuals who identify as gender non-conforming, queer, transgender (trans) men, or lesbian, in one of six focus group discussions on bladder health. Using directed content qualitative data analysis from the six unique focus groups, three interrelated themes were revealed: gender socialization of voiding behavior and toilet environment culture producing identity threats, and risks to gender affirmation; consequences of hetero-cis normative bathroom infrastructure necessitating adaptive voiding behaviors; and, physical and psychosocial consequences of chronic anxiety and fear are associated with voiding experiences. Insight on how SGMs navigate voiding behaviors, toilet experiences, and health care seeking is needed to assure that bladder health promotion activities are inclusive of this population’s needs.

Keywords: bladder health; qualitative inquiry; sexual and gender minority; community-based participatory research; focus group (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/17/3170/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/17/3170/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:17:p:3170-:d:262479

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().