Where Is LGBTQ+  in Ontario's Health Care Policies and Programs?

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Equity Research
• Health Policy Analysis

Background:

• The LGBTQ+ community faces significant health inequities influenced by social determinants of health (SDH).
• The full scope of these health disparities remains inadequately understood.
• Understanding online health information and service provision is crucial for addressing these inequities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the extent and nature of LGBTQ+-specific health content on the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) and Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) websites.
• To assess the alignment of online content with the MOHLTC's population health and SDH philosophy.
• To identify trends in online health information for the LGBTQ+ community between 2009 and 2017.

Main Methods:

• Comparative thematic content analysis of MOHLTC and 14 LHIN websites.
• Data collected for the years 2009 and 2017.
• Analysis focused on LGBTQ+-specific health needs and alignment with population health strategies.

Main Results:

• Limited evidence of a population health approach on the MOHLTC website.
• Scarcity of LGBTQ+-specific content on LHIN websites, with few exceptions in 2017.
• Consistent emphasis on HIV/AIDS risk containment for the LGBTQ+ community across both time periods.

Conclusions:

• The MOHLTC must acknowledge health inequalities affecting the LGBTQ+ community.
• Interventions should adopt broader political and social mechanisms beyond HIV/AIDS.
• Promoting health equity requires a comprehensive approach addressing diverse SDH for the LGBTQ+ population.