Our Health 2022 was CBRC’s first community survey to include all Two-Spirit, Indigiqueer, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and other sexually and gender diverse people (2S/LGBTQQIA+). Open to all 2S/LGBTQQIA+ people in Canada, we recruited participants online from April to September 2022 to complete this multilingual survey, which had an emphasis on experiences with COVID-19 and chronic health. In total, we heard from 4,044 2S/LGBTQQIA+ people from across Canada. None of this would be possible without these individual’s participation in our research - thank-you!
As part of our commitments to and principles of community-based research, we sought to recognize and attend to the diversity of 2S/LGBTQQIA+ people within this study. We know that COVID-19 has affected different groups uniquely as a result of structural determinants such as racism, colonization, ableism, and cissexism. We wanted to understand different groups' experiences and provide a dedicated space to share and discuss the survey findings for each group. As such, we have prepared a series of community reports for each of the following groups:
- Black people
- Indigenous people
- Newcomers
- People of colour
- People who use substances
- People living with disabilities
- Older adults (aged 60+)
- Rural living people
- Trans and non-binary people
- Youth
Each of these reports was prepared by a different group of people, including CBRC staff members and 5-6 community advisors from each specific community group. Together, they worked to define the survey data to include and helped to interpret and contextualize the results. Consultations included group meetings, emails, and open invitations to edit drafts of the report. The full questionnaire for Our Health 2022 is available online here, and distilling what was most important to each community was an important step. Indicators were selected based on community advisory feedback and relevance to COVID-19 impacts. Now, we are sharing these reports publicly to increase access. The first three reports in the series are available now on our website: Black 2S/LGBTQQIA+ people in Canada, Newcomer LGBTQQIA+ people in Canada, and 2S/LGBTQQIA+ People Who Use Substances in Canada. The rest of the community reports will be released over the coming months.
We intentionally decided to publish these reports sharing the experiences of only those participants who were a part of each specific community. For example, the report on Black 2S/LGBTQQIA+ people in Canada includes only Our Health 2022 participants who self-identified as Black on the survey. We were not interested in comparing any group to other participants in the study. These comparisons have historically led to deficits-based interpretations and they emphasize the experiences of the majority of participants who are white, cisgender, able-bodied, etc. Instead, for each report there may be comparisons made within the specific community group. These decisions were guided by our community advisors as well as available data.
We hope that these reports serve as useful resources for those working with specific groups within 2S/LGBTQQIA+ communities, and also a resource for community-based organizations who serve 2S/LGBTQQIA+ people. We also hope that they serve as a bridge to other organizations and people working with communities that include (but not exclusively) 2S/LGBTQQIA+ people. Importantly, these reports are descriptive in nature. In that way, they are not just an excellent source of data specific to communities who experience intersecting forms of oppression but also an important call to action for individuals and organizations.. We hope they generate more conversations and questions about the kinds of future research we need, the questions we need to ask in future surveys, and the additional ways in which we should analyze our data.
We invite anyone with feedback on our community reports or who would like to engage with us further to please contact us via email: [email protected].
In addition to the COVID-19 community reports being released now and in the coming months, there have been many other resources shared using Our Health 2022 data, including:
- Preliminary analysis of Two-Spirit and LGBTQQIA+ Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour participants
- Various reports on mental health led by Investigaytors sites
- A series of primers and data highlights focused on mental health
- A webinar led by Our Health’s Principal Investigator Dr. Nathan Lachowsky
In addition, CBRC has developed a data dashboard focused on key indicators from Our Health, including chronic health conditions. To access the data dashboard, visit: www.cbrc.net/ourhealthourdata.
For those interested in using Our Health 2022 data for their own research, CBRC has established processes around data access.
Our Health 2022 received funding support from the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council.
