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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Life-Course Epidemiology and Social Inequalities in Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1476938
This article is part of the Research Topic The Health and Illness Beliefs and Experiences of Minoritized Groups View all 4 articles

Exploring Utilization of Targeted Intervention Services among Transgender Individuals in Uttarakhand, India: A Qualitative Study

Provisionally accepted
Meenakshi Khapre Meenakshi Khapre 1Krushna Sahoo Krushna Sahoo 2Vartika Saxena Vartika Saxena 1Smita Sinha Smita Sinha 1Gagandeep Luthra Gagandeep Luthra 3Anubhuti Joshi Anubhuti Joshi 1*
  • 1 All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Rishikesh, India
  • 2 Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi, India
  • 3 Uttarakhand State AIDS Control Society, Uttarakhand, India

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Purpose: Transgender (TG) females face violence, discrimination, and stigma, affecting mental health and hindering access to Targeted Intervention(TI) services, potentially increasing Human Immunodeficiency virus/Sexually Transmitted Infections (HIV/STI) risk. Yet, the utilization of TI services among transgender females in Uttarakhand as well as the country remains understudied. The purpose of this study is to explore the utilization of TI services by transgender community in Uttarakhand. Methods: This qualitative study involved Non-Government Oragnizations(NGOs) implementing TI projects in Haridwar and Roorkee, Uttarakhand , India. Five focused group discussions(FGDs) with twenty four transgender women and nine in-depth interviews(IDIs) with NGO staff were conducted from Sept 2023 -Jan 2024. Thematic analysis, guided by the Anderson and Newman Health Care Utilization Model, was employed.Results: Several barriers to service utilization were identified, including ritual beliefs, low health literacy, stigma, social isolation, financial insecurity, privacy concerns, and inefficient service delivery. Challenges in STI program implementation and neglect in health facilities for transgender females were reported. However, enabling factors such as trusted providers, supportive laws, and efforts by NGOs and government agencies were recognized. Nonetheless, there remains a significant need for information on gender-affirmation services and addressing other prevalent health issues among transgender female communities.2 Conclusion: The study underscores the interplay of individual, social, and service-related factors affecting healthcare access among transgender females. Inclusive and high-quality healthcare services are necessary to address the complex sociocultural aspects influencing transgender females' healthcare access and utilization.

    Keywords: transgender, Targeted intervention (TI), qualitative study, Healthcare Utilization Model, Barriers to service utilization

    Received: 06 Aug 2024; Accepted: 18 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Khapre, Sahoo, Saxena, Sinha, Luthra and Joshi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Anubhuti Joshi, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Rishikesh, India

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