Health conditions, health literacy, access to care, and health care experiences among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer adults in Lebanon
Abstract Background This study aims to assess the physical health of individuals belonging to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community, considering health system challenges like access to care and patient experiences and community-specific attributes like health literacy...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-04-01
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| Series: | International Journal for Equity in Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-025-02417-2 |
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| author | Wassim Daoud Khatoun Ali Slim Jana Makhlouf Sam S. S. Lau Marco C. H. Cheng Alissa Chebat Michel Boustany Elio Tahan Carmel Bouclaous |
| author_facet | Wassim Daoud Khatoun Ali Slim Jana Makhlouf Sam S. S. Lau Marco C. H. Cheng Alissa Chebat Michel Boustany Elio Tahan Carmel Bouclaous |
| author_sort | Wassim Daoud Khatoun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background This study aims to assess the physical health of individuals belonging to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community, considering health system challenges like access to care and patient experiences and community-specific attributes like health literacy and self-acceptance. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in January-June 2022 using non-probabilistic sampling. The survey collected sociodemographic characteristics, information on access to care and patient experiences, prevalence of chronic conditions, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and health literacy levels. The inclusion criteria required participants to be of Lebanese nationality, at least 18 years old, and to identify as part of the LGBTQ community. Descriptive statistics summarized the data. Two sample t-tests and chi-square tests were used to examine associations between variables. Results A total of 496 participants took the survey, with a majority identifying as bisexual (38.5%) or gay (35.1%). Around 41.1% reported at least one chronic condition. Difficulty accessing healthcare was experienced by 37.7%, with 11.1% reporting a negative patient experience. Participants who reported experiencing discrimination were significantly more likely to delay seeking health services (p < 0.001), with transgender-identifying participants experiencing significantly more discrimination that non-transgender-identifying participants. Regarding sexual health, 15.7%, of those who tested, reported at least one STI. Their preferred testing sites were Non-Governmental Organizations (59.3%). Adequate health literacy level was significantly associated with STI testing (t = 3.34, p < 0.01) and chronic disease (t = 3.76, p < 0.01). Conclusion Our findings underscore the importance of inclusive healthcare policies that address discriminatory experiences in healthcare settings and the need for targeted evidence-based interventions to improve health outcomes among LGBTQ individuals. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-844ff9579f44437895e28d28de5bfda5 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1475-9276 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal for Equity in Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-844ff9579f44437895e28d28de5bfda52025-08-20T03:14:07ZengBMCInternational Journal for Equity in Health1475-92762025-04-012411910.1186/s12939-025-02417-2Health conditions, health literacy, access to care, and health care experiences among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer adults in LebanonWassim Daoud Khatoun0Ali Slim1Jana Makhlouf2Sam S. S. Lau3Marco C. H. Cheng4Alissa Chebat5Michel Boustany6Elio Tahan7Carmel Bouclaous8Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American UniversityFaculty of Medicine, American University of BeirutGilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American UniversityResearch Centre for Environment and Human Health, School of Continuing Education, Hong Kong Baptist UniversityResearch Centre for Environment and Human Health, School of Continuing Education, Hong Kong Baptist UniversityGilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American UniversityGilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American UniversityGilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American UniversityGilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American UniversityAbstract Background This study aims to assess the physical health of individuals belonging to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community, considering health system challenges like access to care and patient experiences and community-specific attributes like health literacy and self-acceptance. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in January-June 2022 using non-probabilistic sampling. The survey collected sociodemographic characteristics, information on access to care and patient experiences, prevalence of chronic conditions, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and health literacy levels. The inclusion criteria required participants to be of Lebanese nationality, at least 18 years old, and to identify as part of the LGBTQ community. Descriptive statistics summarized the data. Two sample t-tests and chi-square tests were used to examine associations between variables. Results A total of 496 participants took the survey, with a majority identifying as bisexual (38.5%) or gay (35.1%). Around 41.1% reported at least one chronic condition. Difficulty accessing healthcare was experienced by 37.7%, with 11.1% reporting a negative patient experience. Participants who reported experiencing discrimination were significantly more likely to delay seeking health services (p < 0.001), with transgender-identifying participants experiencing significantly more discrimination that non-transgender-identifying participants. Regarding sexual health, 15.7%, of those who tested, reported at least one STI. Their preferred testing sites were Non-Governmental Organizations (59.3%). Adequate health literacy level was significantly associated with STI testing (t = 3.34, p < 0.01) and chronic disease (t = 3.76, p < 0.01). Conclusion Our findings underscore the importance of inclusive healthcare policies that address discriminatory experiences in healthcare settings and the need for targeted evidence-based interventions to improve health outcomes among LGBTQ individuals.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-025-02417-2LGBTQAccess to careHealth literacyChronic diseasesSexually transmitted infectionsPatient experience |
| spellingShingle | Wassim Daoud Khatoun Ali Slim Jana Makhlouf Sam S. S. Lau Marco C. H. Cheng Alissa Chebat Michel Boustany Elio Tahan Carmel Bouclaous Health conditions, health literacy, access to care, and health care experiences among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer adults in Lebanon International Journal for Equity in Health LGBTQ Access to care Health literacy Chronic diseases Sexually transmitted infections Patient experience |
| title | Health conditions, health literacy, access to care, and health care experiences among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer adults in Lebanon |
| title_full | Health conditions, health literacy, access to care, and health care experiences among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer adults in Lebanon |
| title_fullStr | Health conditions, health literacy, access to care, and health care experiences among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer adults in Lebanon |
| title_full_unstemmed | Health conditions, health literacy, access to care, and health care experiences among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer adults in Lebanon |
| title_short | Health conditions, health literacy, access to care, and health care experiences among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer adults in Lebanon |
| title_sort | health conditions health literacy access to care and health care experiences among lesbian gay bisexual transgender and queer adults in lebanon |
| topic | LGBTQ Access to care Health literacy Chronic diseases Sexually transmitted infections Patient experience |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-025-02417-2 |
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