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Journal article - Review
Transgender-inclusive measures of sex/gender for population surveys: Mixed-methods evaluation and recommendations
PloS one, v 12(5), e0178043
25 May 2017
PMID: 28542498
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Given that an estimated 0.6% of the U.S. population is transgender (trans) and that large health disparities for this population have been documented, government and research organizations are increasingly expanding measures of sex/gender to be trans inclusive. Options suggested for trans community surveys, such as expansive check-all-that-apply gender identity lists and write-in options that offer maximum flexibility, are generally not appropriate for broad population surveys. These require limited questions and a small number of categories for analysis. Limited evaluation has been undertaken of trans-inclusive population survey measures for sex/gender, including those currently in use. Using an internet survey and follow-up of 311 participants, and cognitive interviews from a maximum-diversity sub-sample (n = 79), we conducted a mixed-methods evaluation of two existing measures: a two-step question developed in the United States and a multidimensional measure developed in Canada. We found very low levels of item missingness, and no indicators of confusion on the part of cisgender (non-trans) participants for both measures. However, a majority of interview participants indicated problems with each question item set. Agreement between the two measures in assessment of gender identity was very high (K = 0.9081), but gender identity was a poor proxy for other dimensions of sex or gender among trans participants. Issues to inform measure development or adaptation that emerged from analysis included dimensions of sex/gender measured, whether non-binary identities were trans, Indigenous and cultural identities, proxy reporting, temporality concerns, and the inability of a single item to provide a valid measure of sex/gender. Based on this evaluation, we recommend that population surveys meant for multi-purpose analysis consider a new Multidimensional Sex/Gender Measure for testing that includes three simple items (one asked only of a small sub-group) to assess gender identity and lived gender, with optional additions. We provide considerations for adaptation of this measure to different contexts.
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Details
- Title
- Transgender-inclusive measures of sex/gender for population surveys: Mixed-methods evaluation and recommendations
- Creators
- Greta R. Bauer - Western UniversityJessica Braimoh - Western UniversityAyden I. Scheim - Western UniversityChristoffer Dharma - Western University
- Publication Details
- PloS one, v 12(5), e0178043
- Publisher
- Public Library Science
- Number of pages
- 28
- Grant note
- MOP-130489 / Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Institute of Gender and Health; Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Trudeau Foundation Scholarship Vanier Scholarship
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000402062800038
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85019900962
- Other Identifier
- 991020099262404721
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- Web of Science research areas
- Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary