Sexual and gender minorities
(SGM) include individuals with a wide range of sexual orientations, physical
characteristics, and gender identities and expressions. Data suggest that
people in this group face a significant and poorly understood set of additional
health risks and bear a higher burden of some diseases compared to the general
population.
A large amount of data is available on HIV/AIDS, but far less on
other health problems. In this review we aimed to synthesize the knowledge on
the burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases, mental health
conditions and violence experienced by SGM, based on available systematic
reviews. We conducted a global review of systematic reviews, including
searching the Cochrane and the Campbell Collaboration libraries, as well as
PubMed, using a range of search terms describing the populations of interest,
without time or language restrictions. Google Scholar was also scanned for
unpublished literature, and references of all selected reviews were checked to
identify further relevant articles.
We found 30 systematic reviews, all
originally written in English. Nine reviews provided data on HIV, 12 on other
sexually transmitted infections (STIs), 4 on cancer, 4 on violence and 3 on
mental health and substance use. A quantitative meta-analysis was not possible.
The findings are presented in a narrative format.
Our review primarily showed
that there is a high burden of disease for certain subpopulations of SGM in
HIV, STIs, STI-related cancers and mental health conditions, and that they also
face high rates of violence. Secondly, our review revealed many knowledge gaps.
Those gaps partly stem from a lack of original research, but there is an
equally urgent need to conduct systematic and literature reviews to assess what
we already know on the disease burden in SGM.
Additional reviews are needed on
the non-biological factors that could contribute to the higher disease burden.
In addition, to provide universal access to health-care for all, more
information is needed on the barriers that SGM face in accessing health
services, including the attitudes of health-care providers.
Understanding these
barriers and the additional health risks they impose is crucial to improving
the health status of SGM.
Purchase full article at: http://goo.gl/NazgRt
By: Karel Blondeel, Lale Say, Doris Chou, Igor Toskin, Rajat Khosla, Elisa Scolaro, and Marleen Temmerman
Ghent University,
Ghent, Belgium
Department of
Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva,
Switzerland
I.M. Sechenov
First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation
Karel Blondeel, Email: eb.tnegu@leednolb.lerak.
More at: https://twitter.com/hiv insight
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