Spectrum is working with health researchers at Wilfrid Laurier University, in partnership with the AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo & Area (ACCKWA), on a new grant funded research project called the “Waterloo Region 2SLGBTQ+ WELCOME Study” led by Dr. Todd Coleman, Associate Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University. This project aims to assess 2SLGBTQ+ needs in Waterloo Region, given that our community has largely been ignored in the context of health research. We wish to better understand the needs as well as the health and well-being of our community and offer programming and policy solutions to improve health outcomes.
The research will include a 40-minute survey and a qualitative interview to understand 2SLGBTQ+ experiences about community health, health status and behaviour over the life-course, healthcare and social service access, safety, and social support. It will also include consultative engagement with health system stakeholders.
The Waterloo Region 2SLGBTQ+ WELCOME Survey is part of a multiphase grant funded project aiming to conduct a 2SLGBTQ+ needs assessment to advance the current understanding of the general health landscape of 2SLGBTQ+ identifying persons who live, work, or reside in the Waterloo region. The results of the survey will help inform the latter phases of the study and be disseminated to our constituents as part of our knowledge translation activities in different formats.
Once the information has been collected, analyzed and distributed (e.g. at community meetings, reports, academic publications), the research team hopes to work with the community on initiatives that promote the health and well-being of 2SLGBTQ+ populations in Canada
We are seeking participants who:
- Identify as 2SLGBTQ+
- 16+
- Live, work, or reside in Waterloo Region
If this is you and you’d like to take the survey, . Note that the password is “welcome2023”. If you have questions or would like to be considered for an interview, please connect with Robert Chin-see (he/him).
This study has been approved by the Research Ethics Board at Wilfrid Laurier University (REB# 8419)