Names of investigators
Mrs Felicity Austin, Dr Bonnie Furzer, A/Prof Ben Jackson, A/Prof Ashleigh Lin, Dr Kemi Wright
Exercise and Gender Services for Young People
Trans and gender diverse young people are at very high risk for poor mental health, self-harming, and suicide attempts. Four out of 5 trans young people have ever engaged in self-harm, and almost 1 in 2 trans young people have ever attempted suicide (48%). Lower rates of physical activity and physical health challenges are also prevalent, with one in four in trans young people limiting their exercise behavior because of their gender. Despite this, 81% of the young trans people surveyed in the Trans Pathways study would like to exercise more but feel unable to because of barriers to exercise. Furthermore, the Trans Pathways study noted young people found it difficult to access health services with 60% feeling isolated from medical and mental health services, and 42% having reached out to a service provider who did not understand or respect their gender identity
This project aims to collaborate with trans young people, families, and stakeholders to create an evidence-informed exercise and physical activity program to improve the health and wellbeing of WA trans and gender diverse young people.
It will directly inform current and future practice with regards to the role of exercise, and how to support trans and gender diverse young people to engage safely in exercise, as well as pave the way for future research exploring the efficacy of exercise-based programs for improving long term health outcomes.
Funders of the project
- University of Western Australia
- The Kids Research Institute Australia
External collaborators
- Perth Children’s Hospital
- UWA MHEX Research Group
- Thriving in Motion