Open Collections

UBC Faculty Research and Publications

Factors associated with healthcare avoidance among transgender women in Argentina Socias, M. Eugenia; Marshall, Brandon David Lewis; Arístegui, Inés; Romero, Marcela; Cahn, Pedro; Kerr, Thomas; Sued, Omar

Abstract

Introduction: Transgender (TG) women in many settings continue to contend with barriers to healthcare, including experiences of stigma and discrimination. Argentina has a universal health care system and laws designed to promote healthcare access among TG women. However, little is known about barriers to healthcare access among TG women in this setting. The aim of this study was to explore individual, social-structural and environmental factors associated with healthcare avoidance among TG women in Argentina. Methods Data were derived from a 2013 nation-wide, cross-sectional study involving TG women in Argentina. We assessed the prevalence and factors associated with avoiding healthcare using multivariable logistic regression. Results Among 452 TG women included in the study, 184 (40.7%) reported that they avoided seeking healthcare because of their transgender identity. In multivariable analysis, factors positively associated with avoiding seeking healthcare were: having been exposed to police violence (adjusted odd ratio [aOR] = 2.20; 95% CI: 1.26 – 3.83), internalized stigma (aOR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.02–2.51), having experienced discrimination by healthcare workers (aOR = 3.36: 95% CI: 1.25 – 5.70) or patients (aOR = 2.57; 95% CI: 1.58 – 4.17), and currently living in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area (aOR = 2.32; 95% CI: 1.44 – 3.76). In contrast, TG women with extended health insurance were less likely to report avoiding healthcare (aOR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.26 – 0.93). Conclusions A high proportion of TG women in our sample reported avoiding healthcare. Avoiding healthcare was associated with stigma and discrimination in healthcare settings, as well as police violence experiences. Although further research is warranted, these finding suggests that socio-structural interventions tailored TG women needs are needed to improve access to healthcare among this population.

Item Metadata

Title
Factors associated with healthcare avoidance among transgender women in Argentina
Creator
Socias, M. Eugenia; Marshall, Brandon David Lewis; Arístegui, Inés; Romero, Marcela; Cahn, Pedro; Kerr, Thomas; Sued, Omar
Publisher
BioMed Central
Date Issued
2014-09-27
Description
Introduction: Transgender (TG) women in many settings continue to contend with barriers to healthcare, including experiences of stigma and discrimination. Argentina has a universal health care system and laws designed to promote healthcare access among TG women. However, little is known about barriers to healthcare access among TG women in this setting. The aim of this study was to explore individual, social-structural and environmental factors associated with healthcare avoidance among TG women in Argentina. Methods Data were derived from a 2013 nation-wide, cross-sectional study involving TG women in Argentina. We assessed the prevalence and factors associated with avoiding healthcare using multivariable logistic regression. Results Among 452 TG women included in the study, 184 (40.7%) reported that they avoided seeking healthcare because of their transgender identity. In multivariable analysis, factors positively associated with avoiding seeking healthcare were: having been exposed to police violence (adjusted odd ratio [aOR] = 2.20; 95% CI: 1.26 – 3.83), internalized stigma (aOR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.02–2.51), having experienced discrimination by healthcare workers (aOR = 3.36: 95% CI: 1.25 – 5.70) or patients (aOR = 2.57; 95% CI: 1.58 – 4.17), and currently living in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area (aOR = 2.32; 95% CI: 1.44 – 3.76). In contrast, TG women with extended health insurance were less likely to report avoiding healthcare (aOR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.26 – 0.93). Conclusions A high proportion of TG women in our sample reported avoiding healthcare. Avoiding healthcare was associated with stigma and discrimination in healthcare settings, as well as police violence experiences. Although further research is warranted, these finding suggests that socio-structural interventions tailored TG women needs are needed to improve access to healthcare among this population.
Subject
Transgender women; Argentina; Healthcare access; Police violence; Discrimination; Stigma
Genre
Article
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2015-11-15
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
DOI
10.14288/1.0220549
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/55335
Affiliation
Medicine, Department of; Medicine, Faculty of; Non UBC
Citation
International Journal for Equity in Health. 2014 Sep 27;13(1):81
Publisher DOI
10.1186/s12939-014-0081-7
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty
Copyright Holder
Socías et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Aggregated Source Repository
DSpace

Item Media

Item Citations and Data

Rights

Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)