EATING BEHAVIORS, SYMPTOMS OF EATING DISORDERS AND OBESITY IN TRANSGENDER YOUNG PEOPLE: AN EVALUATION AND INTERVENTION PROPOSAL

• Grant number: 24/09028-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nutrition
• Principal Investigator: Bruno Gualano
• Grantee: Bruna Caruso Mazzolani
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Studies show that, despite the growing prevalence of transgender people, both adults and children and adolescents, remains a great health care disparity to this population. Transgender people face many challenges in maintaining a healthy body weight, such as: gender dysphoria, body dissatisfaction, stigmatization, psychological distress, and hormone blockade and therapy. These challenges are associated with unhealthy eating, lifestyle, and weight control behaviors that make this population prone to developing obesity and eating disorders. In international literature, there is evidence of a higher prevalence of these disordered behaviors, obesity and eating disorders in transgender adolescents when compared to cisgender ones. In Brazil, studies on this topic are scarce and, to date, no prevention intervention has been proposed, despite the high rate of morbimortality, impacts on quality of life and high costs to the health system associated with obesity and eating disorders. Therefore, the objective of this project is to evaluate eating behaviors, symptoms of eating disorders and prevalence of obesity in transgender children and adolescents, as well as to develop and implement an intervention to prevent obesity and eating disorders in this population. The project will result in the production of high scientific impact evidence, which will greatly advance the clinical management of this population and public health strategies to reduce the damage caused by obesity and eating disorders in this population.