Global Healthy Living Foundation Announces Groundbreaking Survey Revealing Significant Health Disparities Among LGBTQ+ Individuals Living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
June 21 2024 - 9:03AM
Business Wire
Diagnosis, Treatment, Mental and Sexual Health, and Resources
Are Worse Than Among Heterosexuals
The Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF) has released the
results of a landmark survey highlighting the unique challenges
faced by LGBTQ+ individuals living with inflammatory bowel disease
(IBD). The survey, which gathered responses from 245 participants
who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community and have been
diagnosed with a form of IBD, uncovers critical insights into the
health disparities and treatment gaps affecting this
population.
Respondents were incredibly gender diverse, with over 43 percent
identifying their gender as non-cisgender, highlighting a
significant gender diversity within the LGBTQ+ IBD community.
The survey findings uncovered important statistics underscoring
the need for tailored health care resources and greater inclusivity
in medical settings:
- Diagnosis Awareness: 35 percent of respondents were
unsure of their specific IBD diagnosis, with those on government
insurance other than Medicare or Medicaid (e.g. Tricare of CHAMPVA)
being 6.4 times more likely to be unaware of their IBD type
compared to those with private insurance.
- Treatment Gaps: Compared with those LGBTQ+ IBD patients
seeing a gastroenterologist for their treatment, participants
seeing a primary care provider were 10.4 times more likely not to
be on medication, and those seeing another type of doctor were 31.6
times more likely to not be on medication compared with those
currently seeing a gastroenterologist.
- Mental Health: High levels of anxiety (75 percent) and
depression (65 percent) were reported, underscoring the mental
health burden on LGBTQ+ individuals with IBD.
- Sexual Health: Sexual relationships were among the top
three most affected areas of life for LGBTQ+ people with IBD, with
many participants expressing a lack of support from healthcare
professionals in this aspect.
- Resource Accessibility: A significant 67 percent of
participants stated there are either not enough or any resources
specifically tailored for LGBTQ+ individuals living with IBD,
emphasizing the need for more targeted support and
information.
“The results of this survey work within the LGBTQ+ community to
support unmet needs and to address work that still needs to be done
to better represent patients,” says Frank Sperber, Global People
and Business Resource Group Lead, PRIDE Alliance, at Bristol Myers
Squibb. “BMS is proud to continue to be a part of this conversation
in support of the LGBTQ+ community to make strides in the IBD
space.”
“Our goal is to bridge these gaps by providing much-needed
resources and fostering more inclusive health care environments,”
said Louis Tharp, a gay man and Executive Director/Co-Founder at
GHLF.
The survey also revealed that a significant portion of
respondents felt their health care providers were not inclusive or
aware of their sexual orientation and gender identity, which
negatively impacted their care. For example, only 50.7 percent of
participants felt their doctor’s office was somewhat or very
inclusive, and only 24.7 percent said their health care provider
was aware of their sexuality and/or gender identity.
In response to these findings, GHLF is committed to developing
new resources aimed at improving the health care experiences of
LGBTQ+ IBD patients. This includes educational materials for health
care providers on the importance of inclusivity and the unique
challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals with IBD.
“We believe that every patient deserves personalized and
inclusive care,” added Tharp. “With the insights gained from this
survey, we are taking steps to ensure that LGBTQ+ IBD patients
receive the support and treatment they need to lead healthy,
fulfilling lives.”
For more information about the survey and GHLF’s ongoing efforts
to support LGBTQ+ individuals with IBD, please visit
https://ghlf.org/lgbtq-ibd-survey/.
About the Global Healthy Living Foundation:
The Global Healthy Living Foundation is a U.S. based, 501(c)(3)
nonprofit, international organization whose mission is to improve
the quality of life for people with chronic illnesses by advocating
for improved access to health care through education,
patient-centered clinical research, support, advocacy, and economic
and policy research. GHLF is also a staunch advocate for vaccines.
The Global Healthy Living Foundation is the parent organization of
CreakyJoints®, the international, digital community for millions of
people living with arthritis and their supporters worldwide who
seek education, support, activism, and patient-centered research in
English, Spanish, and French. In addition to arthritis and
autoimmune disorders, GHLF supports dermatology, gastroenterology,
neurology, cardiology, oncology, infectious disease, rare disease,
and pulmonary patients through a host of different programs and
activities which draw more than 700,000 patients a month to GHLF
websites and create more than 10 million impressions a month on
seven social media platforms. In 2023, GHLF had more than 1 million
views and listens with its patient-centered audio-visual content
found on YouTube and podcast platforms. PatientSpot™, a patient
registry with more than 45,000 registered chronically ill people
has been responsible for research producing more than 60
presentations, peer-reviewed publications, and posters at global
medical conferences. GHLF never asks the public for donations.
Visit ghlf.org for more information.
About Louis Tharp:
https://ghlf.org/about-us/team/team-lou-bio/
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240621976303/en/
Susan Jara 201-406-7756 sjara@ghlf.org