Open Editorial on HIV among the African American Community

HIV among African-American Community: Open Editorial
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HIV among African-American Community: Open Editorial
The prevalence of HIV is highest among African-Americans when compared to other racial groups. African-Americans account for about 43% of people with HIV diagnoses in the United States, yet this group accounts for only 12% of the US population (Wolitski, 2018). Healthcare professionals provide care for people with HIV and understand first-hand how HIV influences the health outcomes of people living with HIV. As Reif et al. (2017) indicate, African-Americans have even poorer health outcomes associated with HIV when compared to other races. Healthcare professionals have seen and dealt with these poor outcomes, albeit with limited success, due to other issues that affect health within the African-American community. They understand that some of the factors contributing to high HIV prevalence among African-Americans have to do with issues that are more prominent among African-Americans. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2022) reveals that African-Americans have a low viral suppression when compared to others with HIV. They are also more likely to engage in risky behaviors due to homophobia and racism. The high prevalence of HIV among African-Americans can be reduced by addressing the social determinants of HIV in the community.
HIV among African-Americans can be attributed to several social determinants of health that contribute to the high prevalence and widening disparities. According to Sutton et al. (2017), many African-Americans are affected by social determinant factors that are rooted in injustices and unequal access to opportunities. One such social determinant is poverty. A significant number of African-Americans live below the federal poverty level and this has played a major role in the prevalence of HIV within the community. African-Americans account for about 27.4% of people living in poverty compared to 21.9% for Hispanics and 9.9% for Whites (Murdock et al., 2018). They represent the highest poverty rate in the US. As a result of high poverty rates, they have limited access to resources that can otherwise reduce HIV prevalence and disparity. For instance, they lack access to medical care and fail to seek medical services because they have low medical insurance coverage (Reif et al., 2017). Poverty also influences access to other important resources such as education, which is important in promoting HIV literacy in the community. It also affects their adherence to antiretroviral therapies (Jeffries & Henny, 2019) and makes it difficult for African-Americans to adopt HIV prevention interventions (CDC, 2022). In addition, poverty contributes to increased engagement in risky sexual behaviors that increase the risk of HIV transmission.
Another social determinant that influences HIV among African-Americans is access to healthcare. Reif et al. (2017) indicate that African-Americans have poorer access to healthcare when compared to other racial groups. This is supported by Murdock et al. (2018) who indicate that only 38% of African-Americans receive HIV treatment consistently and onl...