Barriers and facilitators of physical activity and sport participation among young transgender adults who are medically transitioning

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Jones, B.A. ORCID: 0000-0001-8872-5847, Arcelus, J., Bouman, W.P. and Haycraft, E., 2017. Barriers and facilitators of physical activity and sport participation among young transgender adults who are medically transitioning. International Journal of Transgenderism, 18 (2), pp. 227-238. ISSN 1553-2739

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Official URL: http://doi.org/10.1080/15532739.2017.1293581

Abstract

Background: Transgender people (those who feel incongruence between the gender they were assigned at birth and their gender identity) engage in lower levels of physical activity compared to cisgender people (non-transgender). Several factors have been shown to affect physical activity engagement in the cisgender population however; the physical activity experiences of young transgender adults have not been explored. It was therefore the aim of the current study to understand what factors are associated with physical activity and sport engagement in young transgender adults who are medically transitioning.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 young transgender adults (18-36 years) who had initiated their medical transition at a transgender health service in the United Kingdom. The data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: Two main themes were identified: (1) barriers and (2) facilitators to physical activity and sport. Overall, the young transgender adults were insufficiently active due to inadequate changing facilities, body dissatisfaction, fears surrounding ‘passing’ and not being accepted by others. At the same time, participants were motivated to engage in physical activity to increase their body satisfaction and gender congruence. However, participants felt there were a lack of safe and comfortable spaces to engage in physical activity and sport.

Conclusion: Young transgender adults who are medically transitioning experience several barriers to physical activity and sport, despite being motivated to be physically active. Initiatives to facilitate young transgender adults to be able to put their motivations into practice (i.e. to be more physically active) are needed.

Item Type:

Journal article

Publication Title:

International Journal of Transgenderism

Creators:

Jones, B.A., Arcelus, J., Bouman, W.P. and Haycraft, E.

Publisher:

Taylor & Francis

Date:

2017

Volume:

Number: