Setting the standard: no LGBTI+ health equity without data equity

IF 6.7 2区 医学 Q1 MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL Medical Journal of Australia Pub Date : 2024-11-22 DOI:10.5694/mja2.52542
Karinna Saxby, Mohamed A Hammoud
{"title":"Setting the standard: no LGBTI+ health equity without data equity","authors":"Karinna Saxby,&nbsp;Mohamed A Hammoud","doi":"10.5694/mja2.52542","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><span>To the Editor:</span> As researchers with decades of experience in public health, and as proud members or allies of the LGBTI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and other diverse sexual and gender identities) community, we express our deep concern about the handling of the collection of comprehensive data on LGBTI+ Australians in the 2026 census. Following significant community backlash from research groups, community organisations, the LGBTI+ community, and their allies, the discourse around capturing LGBTI+ identities within the 2026 census has seemingly resulted in a positive outcome for sexual and gender diverse Australians.<span><sup>1</sup></span> However, the inclusion of questions identifying people with innate variations of sex characteristics remains uncertain and unconfirmed.</p><p>The Australian Bureau of Statistics 2020 <i>Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics, and Sexual Orientation Variables</i> (hereafter, the 2020 Standard) — a standard that has been rigorously tested with community and advisory groups and has already been implemented in national surveys — sets a clear precedent for comprehensive data collection.<span><sup>2</sup></span> However, despite this successful implementation and the recent endorsement of the 2020 Standard in all phases of health and medical research by the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Department of Health and Aged Care, the current approach to data collection in the 2026 census does not align with these guidelines.<span><sup>3</sup></span></p><p>The robust and considered inclusion of the 2020 Standard in the census is crucial. This is because the inclusion of the LGBTI+ population in traditional population surveys has been inconsistent, incomplete or inappropriate.<span><sup>4, 5</sup></span> Further, as these surveys are generally smaller probabilistic samples, results are often aggregated or incomplete (eg, grouping lesbian, gay and bisexual results together or omitting results for people with intersex variations).<span><sup>2</sup></span> This masks the significant heterogeneity and diversity within the LGBTI+ community and ultimately reduces our capacity to deliver the evidence base needed to help address persistent and, in some cases, widening LGBTI+ health inequalities.<span><sup>6, 7</sup></span></p><p>Research institutes across Australia have also advocated for the inclusion of these items, reflecting a consensus in the scientific community about their importance.<span><sup>1</sup></span> If we miss this opportunity, our next chance to include these items in the census will not arise until 2031, further perpetuating data inequities and limiting our ability to address disparities in LGBTI+ health outcomes.</p><p>We strongly urge the relevant government departments and data custodians to recognise the need for comprehensive, validated and consistent data collection of LGBTI+ identities such as those developed through the 2020 Standard. Ultimately, health equity is unachievable without data equity. The future of health equity depends on the informed actions we take today to ensure our data accurately reflects the diversity of the entire Australian population.</p><p>No relevant disclosures.</p>","PeriodicalId":18214,"journal":{"name":"Medical Journal of Australia","volume":"222 1","pages":"52"},"PeriodicalIF":6.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.5694/mja2.52542","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Medical Journal of Australia","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.5694/mja2.52542","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

To the Editor: As researchers with decades of experience in public health, and as proud members or allies of the LGBTI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and other diverse sexual and gender identities) community, we express our deep concern about the handling of the collection of comprehensive data on LGBTI+ Australians in the 2026 census. Following significant community backlash from research groups, community organisations, the LGBTI+ community, and their allies, the discourse around capturing LGBTI+ identities within the 2026 census has seemingly resulted in a positive outcome for sexual and gender diverse Australians.1 However, the inclusion of questions identifying people with innate variations of sex characteristics remains uncertain and unconfirmed.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics 2020 Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics, and Sexual Orientation Variables (hereafter, the 2020 Standard) — a standard that has been rigorously tested with community and advisory groups and has already been implemented in national surveys — sets a clear precedent for comprehensive data collection.2 However, despite this successful implementation and the recent endorsement of the 2020 Standard in all phases of health and medical research by the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Department of Health and Aged Care, the current approach to data collection in the 2026 census does not align with these guidelines.3

The robust and considered inclusion of the 2020 Standard in the census is crucial. This is because the inclusion of the LGBTI+ population in traditional population surveys has been inconsistent, incomplete or inappropriate.4, 5 Further, as these surveys are generally smaller probabilistic samples, results are often aggregated or incomplete (eg, grouping lesbian, gay and bisexual results together or omitting results for people with intersex variations).2 This masks the significant heterogeneity and diversity within the LGBTI+ community and ultimately reduces our capacity to deliver the evidence base needed to help address persistent and, in some cases, widening LGBTI+ health inequalities.6, 7

Research institutes across Australia have also advocated for the inclusion of these items, reflecting a consensus in the scientific community about their importance.1 If we miss this opportunity, our next chance to include these items in the census will not arise until 2031, further perpetuating data inequities and limiting our ability to address disparities in LGBTI+ health outcomes.

We strongly urge the relevant government departments and data custodians to recognise the need for comprehensive, validated and consistent data collection of LGBTI+ identities such as those developed through the 2020 Standard. Ultimately, health equity is unachievable without data equity. The future of health equity depends on the informed actions we take today to ensure our data accurately reflects the diversity of the entire Australian population.

No relevant disclosures.

查看原文
分享 分享
微信好友 朋友圈 QQ好友 复制链接
本刊更多论文
设定标准:没有数据公平,就没有 LGBTI+ 健康公平。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 去求助
来源期刊
Medical Journal of Australia
Medical Journal of Australia 医学-医学:内科
CiteScore
9.40
自引率
5.30%
发文量
410
审稿时长
3-8 weeks
期刊介绍: The Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) stands as Australia's foremost general medical journal, leading the dissemination of high-quality research and commentary to shape health policy and influence medical practices within the country. Under the leadership of Professor Virginia Barbour, the expert editorial team at MJA is dedicated to providing authors with a constructive and collaborative peer-review and publication process. Established in 1914, the MJA has evolved into a modern journal that upholds its founding values, maintaining a commitment to supporting the medical profession by delivering high-quality and pertinent information essential to medical practice.
期刊最新文献
Consensus recommendations on multiple sclerosis management in Australia and New Zealand: part 1. Consensus recommendations on multiple sclerosis management in Australia and New Zealand: part 2. Consideration of sex and gender: an analysis of Australian clinical guidelines. Potentially preventable medication-related hospitalisations with cardiovascular disease of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Queensland, 2013-2017: a retrospective cohort study. Use of ChatGPT to obtain health information in Australia, 2024: insights from a nationally representative survey.
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
现在去查看 取消
×
提示
确定
0
微信
客服QQ
Book学术公众号 扫码关注我们
反馈
×
意见反馈
请填写您的意见或建议
请填写您的手机或邮箱
已复制链接
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
×
扫码分享
扫码分享
Book学术官方微信
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术
文献互助 智能选刊 最新文献 互助须知 联系我们:info@booksci.cn
Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。
Copyright © 2023 Book学术 All rights reserved.
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号 京ICP备2023020795号-1