HIV Impact Overview
Impact of HIV on Communities of Color
Over the past several years, HIV/AIDS has moved aggressively and disproportionately into communities of color. For example, although African Americans made up 12% of the total U.S. population in 2005, they represented 47% of HIV/AIDS cases. African American males had more than eight times the AIDS rate of white males, and African American females had more than 23 times the AIDS rate of white females.
Similar numbers are found in other minority populations. Hispanics accounted for 18% of HIV/AIDS cases in 2005; Hispanic males had more than three times the AIDS rate of non-Hispanic white males, and Hispanic females had more than five times the AIDS rate of non-Hispanic white females.
Although the Native American population infection rates are not as high as those of African Americans and Hispanics, studies and treatment data show an alarming increase in infection rates among this population. Likewise, the Asian American and Native Hawaiian – Pacific Islander population has experienced a rapid increase in HIV/AIDS cases.
The impact of HIV/AIDS in these and other communities of color is exacerbated by an often-alarming disparity in access to comprehensive healthcare between minorities and whites. Accessing health care can be a daunting challenge for minorities with HIV/AIDS because of economics, lack of health insurance, proximity to health care, and stigma concerning HIV/AIDS in families, communities and in the health care system itself.
The more clinicians understand about these issues and the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS among minorities, the better prepared they will be to apply culturally competent treatment approaches as well as effective prevention methodologies.