Abstract
Introduction: Transgender women at birth have male genitalia but have a female gender identity. Feminizing hormone therapy is a treatment for transgender people to match their gender identity, but it has adverse effects such as weight gain, changes in body composition and an increase in markers of insulin resistance. The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of feminizing hormone therapy on eating behaviors in a population of transgender women. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional descriptive observational study. 16 transgender women living in Santiago de Chile were recruited. An online questionnaire consisting of two items was designed and validated. Results: During hormone therapy, the eating behaviors of selecting a food for its nutritional content, avoid a food for health care, and habitually preparing steamed, roasted, boiled, or grilled foods increased by approximately 50%. The healthy eating behavior score before hormone therapy was 5.3 points, increasing to 7.4 points during therapy with a significant difference (p= 0.0005). In the case of unhealthy eating behavior, the score during hormone therapy (1.6) increased significantly (p=0.0001) compared to the value before therapy, which was 0.4. Conclusions: Knowing the eating behaviors of transgender women during their hormonal process during their transition provides timely information to identify nutritional needs in these people, providing integral nutritional care.
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Copyright (c) 2023 Ximena Rodríguez Palleres., Tanya Neira Peña., Ana Azócar Paillao., Isabel Muñoz Suazo., Vania Landa Becerra.