Racial And Ethnic Differences In Knowledge Of Gender-Affirming Care Among Community And Student Participants In The Bloom Transgender Health Education Program In The Paso Del Norte Region, 2022-2024

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE: There is a noticeable lack of training and knowledge regarding gender-affirming care (GAC) among providers and within the general community. OBJECTIVE: Assess racial and ethnic disparities in knowledge of GAC among participants in BLOOM, a quasi-experimental transgender health education program in the Paso Del Norte region. HYPOTHESES: Among community and student participants at pre-survey, assess racial and ethnic differences in sociodemographic characteristics, preparedness, attitudes, and basic knowledge regarding LGBT clients/patients and GAC. METHODS: Secondary data among community (pre: 53; post: 14) and student (pre: 29; post: 17) BLOOM participants in 2022-2024 were used. Descriptive statistics for all measures and racial and ethnic differences were determined using IBM SPSS Version 29.0.2. RESULTS: For student participants, knowledge of how to navigate the healthcare system (100.0% vs. 31.3%; p=0.022) and knowing how to use their personal and social resources to gain control over their healthcare (100.0% vs. 40.0%; p=0.047) was higher for those of white race and knowledge of how to navigate the legal system (6.3% vs. 100%; p=0.013)was lower for those of Latinx ethnicity. CONCLUSION: Though few findings were significant by race and ethnicity, we observed increased knowledge in the post-survey among student participants compared to the pre-survey. RECOMMENDATIONS: BLOOM can continue promoting and expanding the understanding of GAC of the TGD community of the Paso Del Norte region in the future, addressing the limitations, emphasizing increasing the knowledge of self-advocacy skills, and continuing to address barriers to care.