The LGBTQIA community
The LGBTQIA community is one of the most rapidly rising societies; it entails: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual. Young people who identify with LGBTQIA tend to be most affected by the problems associated with this identification. This paper will mainly focus on the health concern identification and stipulation of the most desirable health promotion platform to mitigate the negative impact on the group.
Health Concern
Depression and contraction of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) will form the basis of the health concern. Considerably, the noticeable impacts of bullying have impacted how LGBTQIA has been conducting its daily activity such will rapidly result in depression. Also, increased sexual aggressiveness amongst the LGBTQIA group further exposes such individuals to deadlier STIs (Cooper & Brownell, 2016). Similarly, depression has emerged and has highly affected how the group operates. Increased cases of depression as a health concern have directly altered the groups’ interaction and their capability to sustain a quality life within society.
Case Study and Target Population Identification
The attainment of the project objectives involved individualized inspection and visitation to the local neighborhood to ascertain data. The project adopted physical observation, and interviews formed a part of the project. As part of the target population, I visited Minnesota and managed to identify Group A, which consists of about 10 African American individuals who identify with LGBTQIA. The group consists of young individuals aged 19-30 years. The study population was found in the Minneapolis region located in the USA. Additionally, the population targeted comprised unemployed individuals who were still advancing in their careers. The sample consisted of students with low income and undergraduate education. Their lifestyle was a relative mix of both high class, particularly from those who had well families, and standard class individuals whose families comprised of standard status wealth-wise.
Characteristics of Target Population
Being a vital component of the study, the target population consists of individuals who have spent much of their childhood together. Additional features of the individuals were similar dressing styles and tattoos for easy identification. This group goes to a specific restaurant where they consume alcoholic beverages for most of their evening hours. They have rented the same apartment for their residence. They practice a lot of irresponsible and indiscriminate sex.
Relevance
Young individuals require deep knowledge of routine health practices since they need good health to contribute positively to the economy. Research has shown that the economy and, in particular, government losses on medicine grow significantly in proportion to the prevalence of diseases among LGBTQIA youth (Wright & Wachs, 2021). This can be avoided by equipping them with the necessary knowledge to get them to practice their sexuality without exposing them (STIs).
The population is prone to this problem for the following reasons. Studies show that the percentage of young people who identify with the LGBT community has increased more than fivefold since the late 1990s (Lewis, 2018). Many of them fail with this identification due to further socialization, bullying, and other indicators highlighted in the Healthy People 2030 program (Dennis et al., 2019). In addition, it is at a young age, due to these problems, that they are prone to mental trauma, which significantly affects their future life and physical health (Ramos, 2021). An educational plan can help at least draw attention to the problem and make at least an open conversation available to community members.
SMART Goals
The need for training is explained not only by the need for education in the field of sex education but also by assessing satisfaction in the context of socialization. For social adaptation, it is necessary to use a questionnaire showing measurable satisfaction indicators (Sanders, 2017). Special tests will assess the degree of mastery of the educational plan. Based on these measurements, achievable goals can be set as positive dynamics in socialization and understanding of the problem. The relevance and specificity are determined by the need described above. At the same time, the time limit will be set according to the size of the course and the time of obtaining the necessary knowledge. Now the behavior of the sample is experiencing complex difficulties with socialization, adaptation, and support (Estreet et al., 2018). After the lesson, the group will know not only how to behave in the current society but also how to stand up for their personality traits. In addition, the educational plan will also make it clear where they can get support and socialize in a more comfortable environment.
Health Risks
The age bracket of young and energetic individuals is highly susceptible to opportunistic decisions due to their aggressive actions. It is not uncommon for such young individuals to decide to join the LGBTQIA as some of them might actually feel more comfortable identifying themselves with LGBTQIA than the rest of the population. At such a tender age, one is vulnerable to picking LGBTQIA as a favorite, especially if the first sexual partner is LGBTQIA. Further, studies have indicated exposure to diseases increases their chances of developing depression syndrome as a result of isolation, neglect, and social grouping by the community (Dean et al., 2016). Hence desire to mitigate associated health risks proves inevitable.
Benefits of a Health Promotion Plan for Group A
Young individuals will learn the benefits of performing safe sex. They will also seek medical treatment if they get STIs. The community will also treat LGBTQIA individuals with dignity hence promoting their mental health.
Development of a Sociogram
The sociogram will show sexual interactions within group A and the larger community. This creates a cycle and shows how each of the groups in the broad sociogram spectrum has to relate. An individual having an STI in the sociogram would eventually transmit the infection to the individuals in the cycle if the community represented in the sociogram does not practice healthy sexual practices. This translates to a community health concern. Society has to embrace the presence of LGBTQIA. In fact, it is not a question of whether one appreciates LGBTQIA or not; rather, one has to understand that a single health concern amongst the LGBTQIA will have a domino effect in society. Unfortunately, in some societies, the topic of LGBTQIA is largely taboo.
Learning Needs
Group A members need to be educated on the presence of STIs in the LGBTQIA community and effective ways to reduce stress among them. The student needs will be analyzed and evaluated to ascertain the specificity of the needs. The needs will also be measured to ascertain the impacts on the target population. Assessment of how such needs could be achieved will be analyzed, and the reliability of the needs ascertained. Additionally, the target population will be given knowledge on how one can avoid STIs, infection, and depression. They should also be informed about the health risk of multiple sexual partners.
Health Promotion Goals
Members of group A should openly declare their sexual orientations and gender identity to their families and colleagues at work. They should also visit healthcare facilities regularly to get tested for STIs. The members should organize a community sensitization campaign to create awareness of their existence and make the members of their societies understand that they are normal people who have chosen unconventional sexuality. The members should be willing to support those individuals who have been infected with STIs so that they might enjoy a quality life. Surveys, physical health indicators, and test results for the condition of this program will provide quantitative equivalents of performance results. Such measurement activities should be carried out at various stages of the program to assess the dynamics of changes.
Expectations
Group A will understand that it is risky to have many sexual partners. They should also control their alcoholism. The group should also make their colleagues at work aware of their sexual orientations and gender identity if it affects their performance at work.
Suggestion
Health-related practitioners should be willing to accept individuals from the LGBTQIA community. Fellow students in the medical setup should not use vulgar or inappropriate language when referring to their LGBTQIA workmates. Individuals in both social and educational environments should be treated as equals without any bias due to sexual orientation or gender identification.
References
Cooper, K. M., & Brownell, S. E. (2016). Coming out in class: Challenges and benefits of active learning in a biology classroom for LGBTQIA students. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 15(3). Web.
Dean, M. A., Victor, E., & Guidry-Grimes, L. (2016). Inhospitable healthcare spaces: why diversity training on LGBTQIA issues is not enough. Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 13(4), 557-570. Web.
Dennis, B., Uttamchandani, S., Biery, S., & Blauvelt, A. (2019). LGBTQIA+ youth as multicultural educators. Ethnography and Education, 14(3), 360-376. Web.
Estreet, A., Phillips, T. C., & Thompson, M. G. (2018). Addressing Behavioral Health Treatment among LGBTQIA Clients. In Social Work Practice with LGBTQIA Populations (pp. 152-170). Routledge.
Lewis, T. O. (2018). Race, Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity 1: Intersectionality in the Lives of LGBTQIA People of Color. In Social Work Practice with LGBTQIA Populations (pp. 114-133). Routledge.
Ramos, N. (2021). Medical trauma in LGBTQIA youth: adapting trauma-informed affirming clinical practices. Pediatric Annals, 50(9), e379-e383. Web.
Sanders, C. J. (2017). A brief guide to ministry with LGBTQIA youth. Presbyterian Publishing Corp.
Wright, M. F., & Wachs, S. (2021). The buffering effect of perceived parental social support in the longitudinal relationship between homophobic cyberbullying and LGBTQIA adolescents’ health outcomes. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 12. Web.