Sexual and gender minority individuals ([SGM] i.e., LGBTQ+ or non-heterosexual) have higher risk for many mental health problems (e.g., depression/anxiety, self-harm, suicidality) compared to heterosexual peers. Emerging evidence indicates that they have a higher risk of physical health problems (e.g., chronic pain, asthma, CVD, diabetes).
Multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs) or multimorbidity (MM) is an established public health concern. In 2019, 21% of the adult English population had simple MM (≥2 MLTCs), and the combined proportion living with simple and complex MM (≥3 MLTCs across ≥3 organ systems) will increase from 53.8% to 71.9% (35.4 million individuals) by 2049. MM is associated with frequent hospital visits, longer hospital stays, complex treatment, and premature death, placing a high burden on a strained healthcare system. There are stark socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities in MM. Emerging evidence indicates MM might be worse in SGM groups but several barriers (e.g., limited data, lack of implementing new methods, optimising existing data) preclude comprehensive research on health in SGM individuals in the UK.
This project aims to overcome barriers by developing key strategies and cutting-edge methods including combining traditional epidemiological methods with new technological advances, AI, and using multiple sources and types of data, to study MM and risk factors in SGM groups.
This project will help you understand and use a wide range of available data sources (like the UK birth cohorts, national surveys, electronic health records, research studies like UK Biobank & Our Future Health). Develop novel strategies and methods to harness, optimise and prepare these data sources for use. Learn a wide range of advanced epidemiological methods & modelling, combined with start-of-the-art computable phenotyping and AI. Alongside, you will learn to conduct effective systematic & rapid reviews, identify gaps in evidence, optimising the above methods to address these gaps and effective scientific communication, and writing international & high quality scientific papers.
References:
Socioeconomic and Ethnic Inequalities in the Progress of Multimorbidity and the Role of Health Behaviors – R. Mira et al, 2023
Sexual minority health inequalities – why are we unable to do more? – A. Khanolkar 2024
Ethnic and Sexual Identity-Related Inequalities in Adolescent Health and Well-Being in a National Population-Based Study – A. Khanolkar et al 2023
Long-term conditions among sexual minority adults in England: evidence from a cross-sectional analysis of responses to the English GP Patient Survey – C. Saunders et al, 2021