Transgender health and the dilemma of insurance.

Transgender health is an important concept nationally and globally. Over the last few decades, a collective effort has been made by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, genderqueer, queer, intersexed, agender, asexual, and ally population, commonly referred to as LGBTQIA+, for equality in all aspects of life like that of their heterosexual counterparts. However, equality in treatment options has not been realized. Public health nurses and other health care providers working with this population need to understand the needs of the transgender population so that they can adequately advocate for them.

Traditional health-related practices of Russian-speaking immigrants.

The population of foreign-born residents continues to grow in the United States. One of the largest growing groups of immigrants is the population of Russian-speakers moving from the countries of the former Union of Soviet Socialistic Republics (Soviet Union/USSR). Like many other immigrants, Russian speakers present with various health concerns. Empirical literature indicates a gap in research that addresses culturally based beliefs and behaviors related to health in this group of immigrants. A qualitative ethnographic study that addresses the health-related practices of Russian-speaking immigrants was conducted on the East Coast of the United States. Twenty-eight participants, ages 36-86, were interviewed, along with participant observation and analysis of documents. Data analysis revealed three related categories: perception of health, perception of illness, and health-related practices. Perceptions of health were influenced by families and defined roles within the family. Perceptions of illness were outlined by approaches to disease management and remedies to illness. Subsequently, the health-related practices of Russian-speaking immigrants were molded by perceptions of health and illness. Further research is recommended to examine specific health-related practices of Russian-speaking immigrants in the United States and to explore more diverse groups within this aggregate.