Nutrition and exercise as a ‘source of empowerment’: A narrative inquiry of transgender men

Abstract

Existing research on transgender health and nutrition is limited and primarily describes behaviors at the population-level and at a single point in time. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of transgender men related to nutrition, exercise, and body image throughout their transition using narrative inquiry design. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews with ten transgender men at various stages of medically transitioning. The multidisciplinary research team constructed six themes from the data: Coming to life as a man; caring for a new body; expected and actual changes with hormone therapy; health information seeking; balancing the demands of daily life; interrelationship of physical and mental health. Healthcare providers can utilize the heightened period of motivation during a medical transition to help their transgender patients make comprehensive healthy lifestyle changes and can have more nuanced conversations about their patients’ desires for body size and shape.

Keywords

• Transgender
• Nutrition
• Exercise
• Physical activity
• Transition