It has been 30 years since the first AIDS cases were reported, and it is estimated that 1.7 million people in the United States have been infected since then. Now, more than one million people in this nation are living with HIV or AIDS.
¿A Dónde Vamos? New Directions for Culturally Relevant Latino Community Involvement in HIV/AIDS Prevention and Services Research—a new report from the NCLR-Cal State University, Long Beach Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation, and Leadership Training (NCLR-CSULB Center)—presents an extensive analysis of the growing HIV/AIDS crisis among Latinos. The picture is grim. Racial and ethnic minorities have been disproportionately affected by the epidemic, and they now represent the majority of new HIV infections, new AIDS diagnoses, people living with HIV/AIDS, and AIDS deaths.
A quick look at some of the numbers in the report:
- In 2009, Hispanics constituted 16% of the U.S. population, but accounted for about 19% of those diagnosed with HIV and 21% of those diagnosed with AID
- In 2008, Latino men had twice the rate of HIV infection compared to White men; Latinas had five times the rate compared to White women.
- Latinos are more likely (62%) than Blacks (57%) or Whites (32%) to receive HIV testing only at the most severe stage of the disease; they are also more likely to be diagnosed with AIDS within one year of their HIV diagnosis.
Of particular note is that although HIV/AIDS affects Latinos all throughout the country, certain subgroups are at higher risk than others. Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) and men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) are especially vulnerable. That list also includes transgender Latinos, particularly male-to-female, as well as migrant workers. Studies have shown that Hispanics have the highest rates of unprotected male-to-male sexual contact. This is a significant problem among Latino immigrants, the report says, because acculturation and socialization into the United States is an important factor in sexual risk behavior. Contrary to what one might think, Latino men with greater acculturation are more liable to have a higher number of partners and engage in more substance abuse, making them more likely to engage in unsafe sex. Compounding all of the risks is prevalent homophobia in both mainstream and Hispanic cultures. This discrimination, as well as lack of access to prevention and testing resources, has no doubt contributed to the difficulty that Latino MSM and MSMW face in getting tested. The graph below (courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control.) further illustrates the rates of infection among male Hispanic adults and adolescents.
The nation’s economic future depends on a Latino community that is healthy and thriving. Tailoring prevention and treatment strategies to meet the needs of the country’s largest and youngest minority group is critical to making sure that happens. To this end, ¿A Dónde Vamos? also includes recommendations for making HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment culturally sensitive to the Latino community. Doing so will help make certain that prevention activities, interventions, and treatments resonate with Hispanic communities and subgroups nationwide.
For more information and to read the report, click here.