Manage Abstracts

A health knowledge translation comic book focused on body image for the GBTQ (gay, bisexual, trans, and queer) community was created. The project aimed to address the lack of nutrition-related health information for GBTQ men and to work towards improving their health and well-being by disrupting dominant body ideals.

An anthology featuring 38 comic strips from various artists was produced. Comics focused on the social construction of bodies, fat stigma, masculinities, eating disorders, and the need for community support.

The work followed an arts-based methodological approach to create a comic anthology based on evidence-based literature and personal experiences from the GBTQ community. Comic book artists were recruited globally. Artists were asked to draw on their own personal experiences to create a comic strip regarding how society and culture influence body image and their health. One contributing artist was commissioned to illustrate nutritional health inserts for the comic based on a summary of peer-reviewed literature.

The final book was printed and given to GBTQ health centres across Canada.

An arts-based approach was an innovative approach to create an evidence-based knowledge translation comic that addresses nutrition-related health concerns for marginalized communities and to address the lack of representation for GBTQ men within a heteronormative dietetic profession. Recommendations: It is recommended that dietitians use arts-based approaches as knowledge translation strategies. The use of arts-based approaches can lead to a broader sense of what counts as knowledge and may influence the way nutritional health evidence is communicated and used within communities.

Dietetic professionals are encouraged to consider the role of heteronormativity in dietetic practices and to challenge gender and sexual body norms that create nutrition-related health concerns.

CIHR Institute of Gender and Health