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HISPANICS AND HIV/AIDS
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order free copies of the 2008 Ryan White
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| SURVEILLANCE |
- Although
Hispanics comprised just 14.8 percent
of the U.S. population in 2006, they accounted
for an estimated 19 percent of new AIDS
cases reported that year.2
Hispanics also represented an estimated
19 percent of all people living with AIDS
at the end of 2006.
- In
2006, the AIDS rate (the number of people
living with AIDS per 100,000 individuals)
was 15.6 for Hispanics, compared to 5.4
for Whites, and 47.6 for Blacks.3
- Hispanics
accounted for 18.5 percent of the estimated
436,693 persons (including children) living
with AIDS in the United States at the
end of 2006.
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An
estimated 63,623 Hispanic men were living
with AIDS in the United States at the end
of 2006.4 Among Hispanic men
living with AIDS, the most common transmission
categories were (in order) male-to-male
sexual contact, injection drug use, and
high-risk heterosexual contact.4
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| WOMEN |
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An
estimated 16,531 Hispanic women were living
with AIDS in the United States at the end
of 2006.4 For Hispanic women
living with AIDS, the most common methods
of transmission were (in order) high-risk
heterosexual contact and injection drug
use.4
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| CRITICAL
ISSUES |
| A
number of cultural, socioeconomic, and health-related
factors contribute to the HIV epidemic and
prevention challenges in the U.S. Hispanic
community. Among these are barriers to health
information and care. Only 57 percent of Hispanics
aged 25 and older were high school graduates
in 2003, compared with 80 percent of African-Americans,
87.6 percent of Asians, and 89.4
percent of non-Hispanic Whites.5
One-fifth of Hispanic respondents in a survey
reported that they believed the test for HIV
could cause AIDS.6 Another obstacle
to HIV prevention is that some sectors of
the Hispanic community do not have a cultural
tradition of preventive care.7
In
2006, 20.6 percent of Hispanics in the United
States were in poverty compared with 8.2
percent of non-Hispanic Whites.8
Poverty increases the risk of HIV infection
by increasing the likelihood of unemployment,
lack of formal education, inadequate or
no health insurance, and limited access
to high-quality health care.9
Among
migrant farm workers—of which an estimated
93 percent are Hispanic—it is estimated
that only 12 percent speak English and that
the median education level is sixth grade.10,11
While an exact rate of HIV infection among
farm workers is unknown, it may be as much
as 10 times the national average.12
Cultural
beliefs also can affect one’s risk
for HIV infection. For example, among men,
machismo has positive implications
for HIV prevention, such as strength and
protection of the family; however, proving
masculinity through power and dominance
can lead Hispanic men to engage in risky
sexual behavior.
Behavioral
risk factors for HIV infection among Hispanics
differ by country of birth. For example,
data suggest that Hispanics born in Puerto
Rico are more likely than other Hispanics
to contract HIV as a result of injection
drug use or high-risk heterosexual contact.
By contrast, sexual contact with other men
is the primary cause of HIV infections among
Hispanic men born in Central or South America,
Cuba, Mexico, or the United States.
The
rates of sexually transmitted diseases,
which can increase the chances of contracting
HIV, are higher for Hispanics/Latinos. In
2006, the rate of chlamydial infection for
Hispanics was about three times the rate
for non-Hispanic Whites, and the rates of
gonorrhea and syphilis for Hispanics were
about twice the rates for non-Hispanic Whites.
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| HRSA'S
RESPONSE |
| Hispanic
clients accounted for 21 percent of all Ryan
White HIV/AIDS Program clients in 2006. Hispanic
populations are served through all parts of
the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.
The
Health Resources and Services Administration
(HRSA) has implemented programs that target
subpopulations of Hispanics. The HIV/AIDS
Bureau Special Projects of National Significance
(SPNS) Border Health Initiative targeted
people living along the United States–Mexico
border. The Initiative funded five grantees
and an evaluation center to develop improved
models of community based health networks
for underserved people living with HIV disease
(see http://www.hab.hrsa.gov/publications/growinginnovative/default.htm).
In
2007, the new Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment
Modernization Act codified the Minority
AIDS Initiative as part of the Ryan White
HIV/AIDS Program, and it provides funding
for activities to evaluate and address
the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS
on racial and ethnic minorities (see http://hab.hrsa.gov/treatmentmodernization/minority.htm).
To
increase access to quality care for minorities
and respond to the need for additional minority
providers of state-of-the-art HIV/AIDS care
in underserved communities, the Minority
AIDS Initiative funds the National Minority
AIDS Education and Training Center program,
designed to expand clinical expertise in
minority communities (see www.nmaetc.org
 ).
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| END
NOTES: |
1
|
U.S. Census Bureau. 2006
American community survey data profile
highlights. 2006. Accessed June
10, 2008. |
| 2 |
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC). HIV/AIDS Surveillance
Report. 2006;18:13. Table 3. |
| 3 |
CDC. HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report.
2006;18:15. Table 5a. |
| 4 |
CDC. HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report.
2006;18:17. Table 7. |
| 5 |
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS). Office of Minority Health.
HIV/AIDS data/statistics. n.d. Accessed
June 10, 2008 at: www.omhrc.gov/templates/browse.aspx?lvl=3&lvlid=7. |
| 6 |
CDC. HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report.
2006;18:23. Table 11. |
| 7 |
CDC. HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report.
2006;18:37. Table 17. |
| 8 |
U.S. Census Bureau. Income, Poverty,
and Health Insurance in the United States:
2006. Washington, DC; U.S. Government
Printing Office 2007:22. Available at:
www.census.gov/prod/2007pubs/p60-233.pdf
(PDF – 3108KB). Accessed June
10, 2008. |
| 9 |
HHS.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
(AHRQ). National Healthcare Disparities
Report. Rockville, MD: AHRQ; 2007.
Available at: www.ahrq.gov/qual/nhdr06/highlights/nhdr06high.htm#intro.
Accessed June 10, 2008. |
| 10 |
Bureau
of Justice Statistics (BJS). Criminal
offenders statistics. n.d. Available
at: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/crimoff.htm#recidivism.
Accessed June 10, 2008. |
| 11 |
BJS.
Prisoners in 2005. November
2006. Available at: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/p05.pdf
(PDF – 376KB). Accessed June
10, 2008. |
| 12 |
Blankenship
KM, Smoyer AB, Bray SJ, Mattocks K.
Black-white disparities in HIV/AIDS:
the role of drug policy and the corrections
system. Health Care Poor Underserved.
2005;16(4 suppl B):140-56. |
| 13
|
National
Alliance of State & Territorial
AIDS Directors (NASTAD). The landscape
of HIV/AIDS among African American women
in the United States. African
American Women’s Issue Brief No.
1. Washington, DC: Author; 2008. |
| 14 |
NASTAD. Findings from targeted interviews
on HIV prevention activities directed
toward Black men who have sex with men
(MSM). Black MSM Issue Brief No.
3. Washington, DC: Author; 2008. |
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