Epidemiology of non-communicable diseases among transgender population residing in Chennai district, Tamil Nadu

INTRODUCTION: There is a paucity of research on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, hypertension and coronary heart diseases among transgenders, with more importance given to diseases like HIV. The study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of NCDs, their risk factors and the associated factors among transgenders residing in Chennai district, Tamil Nadu. METHODOLOGY: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study done among 145 transgenders residing in the Chennai district, Tamil Nadu, selected by snowball sampling method. Data were collected by a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire, anthropometric data were measured, and blood pressure was measured by a mercury sphygmomanometer using standard protocols. Data were entered in Excel software and analysed by using SPSS version 25. RESULTS: The mean age of the study participants was 36 ± 4.2 years. Nearly 91% had only up to school education. Around 26.7% suffered from type 2 diabetes mellitus, 15.1% had a history of hypertension, 36.3% were newly diagnosed hypertensives, and 13.9% were overweight/obese. Almost 40% were either current tobacco or alcohol consumers. There was a statistically significant association found between overweight/obesity and education, work, and income of study participants. CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of NCDs among the study participants warrants health education among transgenders to get screened for common NCDs. Further research is needed to understand the risks of NCDs among transgenders.