Barcelona, 21 February 2025 – This morning at 11:00 a.m., the official presentation of the L-Health project took place at the headquarters of the Catalan Health Institute. This pioneering and much-needed research initiative comes in response to the lack of existing data not only in Catalonia, but also at the national and international levels. Its aim is to design training for healthcare professionals to improve the clinical care that LesBianes* receive in primary care services. The initiative also seeks to identify health inequalities and disparities in primary care affecting lesbians, bisexual women, pansexual women, and heterosexual women who engage in affective-sexual relationships with other women.

The project is led by the Jordi Gol i Gurina Institute for Research in Primary Care (IDIAPJGol) and involves the Girona Biomedical Research Institute Dr. Josep Trueta (IDIBGI), the Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB), Sida Studi, and the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community (EL*C). Its main objectives are:

• To understand the needs and discrimination that LesBianes* experience in relation to their health and primary care and to analyse health inequalities.
• To explore the needs, knowledge gaps, and attitudes of primary healthcare professionals towards LesBianes*.
  To design and evaluate training programmes for healthcare professionals to improve clinical practice for LesBianes*.

Through this work, L-Health aims to foster excellence in the clinical care provided to this collective within primary healthcare.

Project methodologies

During the presentation, the project’s lead researchers explained the three core components of the study:

1. Quantitative study using an online chain referral methodology.
   This consists of distributing an online questionnaire to LesBianes*, who will then be asked to invite three additional LesBianes* they know. The first participant in the chain, known as the “seed”, plays a crucial role in the dissemination and expansion of the study. Anna Ponjoan, principal investigator of L-Health, emphasised: “If we manage to generate long participation chains, this methodology will allow us to obtain a representative sample of the diversity of LesBianes in Catalonia.” In addition, a large clinical database containing seven million primary care medical records in Catalonia (SIDIAP) will be used to identify health inequalities and compare the health status of the representative sample of LesBianes* with a random sample of women from the general population.

2. Qualitative study through group interviews with LesBianes* and primary care professionals. Group discussions will be organised to allow participants to reflect on their health needs, the barriers they face in primary care, and possible proposals for improvement. Separate groups will also be held with primary care professionals to explore their experiences, attitudes, and needs with the aim of improving their knowledge and clinical practice regarding the collective. Constanza Jacques, also a principal investigator, highlighted: “It is essential that LesBianes are not only objects of study but active protagonists in building a more equitable healthcare system.”

3. Study using participatory methodologies. Given the project’s feminist and intersectional perspective, it is essential to develop participatory strategies involving a diverse range of LesBianes*. A Steering Group has been created, coordinated by the ASPB, to advise the different phases of the project and ensure that the needs of the collective are addressed.

Pilot training

Based on the findings of the previous phases, Sida Studi will design a participatory pilot training programme for healthcare professionals. In line with the project’s feminist and intersectional approach, the training will employ methodologies based on reflexivity and situated knowledge, with the goal of promoting community health for LesBianes* in primary care services.

Voices from within the project

One of the most significant moments of the press conference was the testimony of the person who initiated the participation chain. Speaking anonymously, they shared their personal experience: “We know that the lack of information about our health is no coincidence. If we are not included in studies, if we do not take part in research, it is as if we do not exist.”

A transformative impact

Running from 2024 to 2026, L-Health aims not only to collect data but also to transform its findings into practical tools. These tools will include training materials to raise awareness among healthcare staff and improve clinical practice, with the ultimate goal of promoting more inclusive primary care.

The project is grounded in feminist and intersectional values and recognises the diversity and structural inequalities affecting the collective.

 Organisation and collaboration

L-Health is the result of an interdisciplinary partnership between the Jordi Gol i Gurina Foundation – University Institute for Primary Healthcare Research (IDIAPJGol), the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community (EL*C), the Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB), the NGO Sida Studi, and the Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI). Together, these organisations combine academic research, international community activism, and policy advocacy in the field of public health.

(*) NOTE: The L-Health project uses the term LesBianes* as an inclusive concept that encompasses lesbians, bisexual women, pansexual women (including cisgender women and other gender-diverse identities), as well as heterosexual women who have sex with other women or feel attracted to them. This approach acknowledges the diversity of identities and experiences within the collective, ensuring that all of them are represented in the study.