Project 450462

The federal parliamentary Standing Committee on Health called for better data practice to address health inequities among Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersex, and asexual (2SLGBTQQIA+) people. Surveys completed by 2SLGBTQQIA+ people can complement the healthcare data routinely collected by provincial governments. Together, these data can advance our understanding of 2SLGBTQQIA+ health and inform the best use of healthcare dollars through efficient and equitable policies and programs. However, we do not know how to best combine these two types of information to meet the needs of both governments and 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities. We will: 1) assess how feasible, acceptable, and appropriate it is to combine survey and administrative health data sources; 2) identify opportunities and challenges in combining these data sources for 2SLGBTQQIA+ people in different provinces; and 3) estimate the accuracy of these combined data sources for understanding health outcomes and healthcare use among 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. First, we will combine data from surveys of persons identifying as 2SLGBTQQIA+ with governmental health databases in British Columbia and New Brunswick. With this combined data, we will compare the quality of various chronic disease and other health indicators both within and between provinces. This will help us better understand the persistence of inequities in health - for 2SLGBTQQIA+ people and other social characteristics - that go against the principles of Canada's universal healthcare system. Next, we will interview different groups of government data stewards and scientists as well as diverse communities of 2SLGBTQQIA+ people to gain understanding of some of these opportunities and challenges. Our diverse interdisciplinary team will advance the ways we combine and use survey and government data to improve 2SLGBTQQIA+ health.