Colour matters: Body Image, Racism, and Well-being among Gay and Bisexual Men of Colour in Toronto

This is a report on the Imagine Men's Health Study published by the University of TorontoThe Imagine Men‟s Health (IMH) Study was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). This community-based research study was designed to examine body image, health and well-being among gay and bisexual men (GBM) of colour. Ideas leading towards the development of the IMH study were mainly based on a previous study16 focused on issues of body image among GBM of colour in Toronto in 2008, conducted by the principal investigator, Dr. David Brennan. In that study, participants indicated that GBM of colour experience body image differently from their White counterparts. As a result, Professor Brennan and the research team worked collaboratively with various Toronto-based social service agencies to discuss the development of a research project on body image among GBM of colour. The result of this university-community collaboration included the formation of a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) comprised of more than 17 GBM of colour representing various ethnoracial communities. All CAC members generously offered their personal and professional experiences as GBM of colour living and/or working with other GBM of colour to support Professor Brennan and the research team to EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 develop and design the study within a framework that took particular diligence in accounting for race and racial bias, systems of power and oppression and were in line with the reality of the lived experiences of the various community members participating in the study (anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and culturally relevant framework). The IMH study launched in 2010 and was designed to shed light on the issues related to body image among GBM from the four largest ethnoracial communities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). These communities were Black/African/Caribbean, East & Southeast Asian, South Asian, and Latino/Hispanic/Brazilian. This research study was comprised of two phases: Phase 1: focus groups and interviews, and Phase 2: an online survey. First, focus groups and interviews were conducted with 61 GBM of colour in April and May of 2010. The nine focus groups, along with the interview data from three individuals, informed the development of a comprehensive online survey about body image and other health-related measures of GBM of colour. A total of 410 GBM of colour completed the online survey between March and June 2012. Throughout the entire research process, the CAC members actively participated in the development of research tools (e.g., interview questions, survey items) and recruitment of potential study participants. Some CAC members also helped the research team with data collection and analysis.The Imagine Men‟s Health Project was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council [410-2009-2134