
Treatment GuideJust DiagnosedSex & DatingAfrican AmericanStigmaAsk the HIV DocPrEP En EspañolNewsVoicesPrint IssueVideoOut 100
CONTACTCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2023 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Ongoing racial disparities in the nation's HIV infection rate are an "indictment" of the U.S. response to the epidemic, according to a study published in the November 2009 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. "Continuing racial disparities in HIV infection more than two decades after the identification of the virus and availability of an accurate test are an indictment of the U.S. response to the epidemic," says study lead author Adaora A. Adimora, MD, MPH, a professor of infectious diseases in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. "Existing interventions have failed to control the epidemic in African-Americans in part because critical features of [socioeconomics] promote behaviors that transmit HIV and increase the risk of HIV infection, even among those who do not have high-risk behaviors." Adimora and her fellow researchers decided to examine the factors responsible for the stark racial disparities in HIV infection in the United States and the now-concentrated epidemic among black Americans. HIV prevalence among African-Americans is 10 times greater than the prevalence among their white counterparts, according to collected data. This racial disparity in HIV prevalence has persisted, Adimora points out, in the face of both governmental and private actions, involving many billions of dollars, to combat HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 45% of new HIV infections in the United States in 2006 occurred among non-Hispanic blacks. Among the 13,184 adolescents and young adults in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a nationally representative study, HIV seroprevalence was almost 0.5% among black Americans -- a rate 20 times that of white Americans in the study. While individuals' sexual behaviors can contribute to the disparity in HIV prevalence, according to Adimora, these differences in individual behaviors do not fully explain the marked racial differences in HIV infection prevalence. Even when comparisons are broken down by education, poverty level, marital status, age at first sexual intercourse, lifetime number of sex partners, history of male homosexual activity, illicit drug use, injection-drug use, and herpes simplex virus-2 antibody positivity, HIV prevalence among African-Americans exceeds that of whites, and it does so typically substantially. According to the team, the overall impact of these factors constitutes "structural violence," a social system characterized by inequalities in power and life of sufficient magnitude to restrict a group of people from realizing their full potential and "put them in harm's way." "There is a need for research and interventions that are informed by expertise in public health, medicine, basic science, and social sciences," Adimora states, "along with expertise in economics, business and finance, education, criminal justice, political science, and other disciplines. Governments should be held accountable for progress -- or lack thereof -- in eliminating inequities."
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Plus: Featured Video
Latest Stories
7 Uplifting Films To Celebrate Trans Awareness Week & Where To Stream Them
November 17 2023 10:25 AM
Out's Deal Guide: Grab Your 50% Off Amazon Fire Tablets & More Recommended Deals on Amazon Today!
November 03 2023 3:44 PM
Unlock Massive Savings at 'The Holiday Shop': Amazon's Hottest Deals of the Season Await!
November 02 2023 2:17 PM
Dianne Feinstein’s Commitment to People Living With HIV Won’t Be Forgotten
November 02 2023 1:27 PM
PEPFAR in Peril: The Far-Right Wants to End the Lifesaving Global HIV Program
October 24 2023 1:52 PM
Plus Nov/Dec Issue: PEPFAR in Danger & Our Allies and Advocates of the Year
October 23 2023 11:53 AM
Trending stories
Most Recent
Recommended Stories for You
HIV Plus Editors
Editor
Ryan is the Digital Director of The Advocate Channel, and a graduate of NYU Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing. She is also a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics. While her specialties are television writing and comedy, Ryan is a young member of the LGBTQ+ community passionate about politics and advocating for all.
Ryan is the Digital Director of The Advocate Channel, and a graduate of NYU Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing. She is also a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics. While her specialties are television writing and comedy, Ryan is a young member of the LGBTQ+ community passionate about politics and advocating for all.