Environmental impact on physical activity and health in transgender youth

Resumen

Background: Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans suggest that youth should participate in at least one hour of age appropriate PA per day. Yet, fewer than 30% of high school students participate in at least 60 minutes of PA every day; ethnic minority youth report even less. Within the transgender community, students were less likely to be physically active, due to safety concerns which is mostly related to a sedentary adult. Purpose: To investigate the barriers and facilitators transgender adults faced when they were adolescents and experiencing PA environments (e.g. physical education, sport teams). Methods: Quantitative study using a questionnaire with 27 closed-ended questions. A sample of convenience was used to recruit participants. Data was coded, cleaned, and analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2018 and SPSS Statistics 24. Results:  Quantitative results indicate that there is transphobic behavior present in a physical activity environment, furthermore, facilities prevented participants from participating in physical activity.  Implications: The results of this study may possibly be used to inform programming in educational institutions, coaches, and support policy makers in developing what interventions are needed to increase safety for transgender youth.