Researchers are now looking into studying the health and healthcare conditions of the LGBT communities. There is a lack of data and medical information concerning the issue.
Health advocates in the gay population are hoping to take advantage of technology usage. The popularity of apps and smartphones can be maximized for both information sharing and data gathering.
An app called Pride Study can be used to conduct surveys, to be answered by the LGBT. This is a way to collect important data.
The app will also be used to share health information and studies to keep the community abreast about such issues and activities. It requires only half an hour of participation in a year to gather important data for study.
The information gathered will be used for a long-term health study, centered on the LGBT populace. The wide reach of the app will also make the study a large-scale one, a first for the LGBT.
Based on the ResearchKit Technology, Pride Study is developed by the University of California in San Francisco. The app is seeking to address the lack of information for research. It also aims to assess the effect of illnesses such as AIDS and HIV to the LGBT.
Verification of popular notions that LGBTs are more prone to depression is also hoped to be done with data coming from the app.
"The current landscape for LGBT health is less of a map and more of a signpost in the desert. We aim to create that map," University of California researcher Juno Obedin-Maliver said in a statement.
Last Friday, the United States declared same-sex marriage legal in all its 50 states. The ruling made the headlines all over the world. This opened discussions on LGBT rights and issues they have long been facing.
To know more about Pride Study, watch the video below.
