LGBT+ youth, in particular trans, non-binary and gender diverse young people, face significantly poorer outcomes in both their physical and mental health. A study of the mental health of trans young people found that trans youth are 10 times more likely to be diagnosed with depression and anxiety and 20 times more likely to have attempted suicide (Strauss, et al., 2017). When it comes to physical health, recent studies have identified that trans youth are nearly two times more likely to develop metabolic syndrome and face a higher risk of poor cardiometabolic outcomes than their cisgender counterparts (Valentine, et al., 2021).

There is well established evidence that engaging in exercise not only improves physical health but has substantial impacts on mental health. However, trans and gender diverse youth face greater challenges when it comes to engaging in exercise. These challenges are specific to gender identity, transphobic experiences and discriminatory policies in sport (Strauss, et al., 2017). Research also found that 81% of the young trans people would like to exercise more but feel unable to because of discomfort while exercising and fear or unwillingness to exercise in public (Strauss, et al., 2017) .

The Gender Movement Group is an exercise physiology intervention that has been established within Children’s Health Queensland Child and Youth Mental Health Service, that is specifically designed to break down the barriers LGBT+ youth face when it comes to participating in exercise. This presentation will explore the subjective experience of this population after participating in the group program through analysis of pre and post surveys. This survey analysis will demonstrate the benefits or limitations of this intervention for the engagement of the LGBT+ population and subsequent perceived impact on health outcomes.

Outcomes presented in this presentation have been approved for use by CHQHHS Human Research Ethics Committee.