Study investigates the association between nativity status and HIV viral suppression among women of color in the U.S.

May. 18, 2021
Red ribbon HIV, pills and stethoscope on pink background

Among women living with HIV in the United States, women of color bear a disproportionate burden. In 2018, Black and Latina women made up 75 percent of all new HIV diagnoses. Black women also disproportionately accounted for the majority women living with HIV and the majority of HIV-related deaths among women. When compared with White women, Black and Latina women were less likely to have access to HIV care and treatment services and more likely to have lower rates of retention in care and viral suppression.

A new study by doctoral alum and Adjunct Assistant Professor Amanda Nace and CUNY SPH colleagues investigates the association between nativity status (U.S.- vs foreign-born) and HIV viral suppression among women of color and whether this association was modified by education and housing.

Despite facing barriers to care, foreign-born women of color were more likely to achieve viral suppression than U.S.-born women of color. This association was not modified by education or housing status.​ The authors say additional research should seek to better understand the burden of HIV on women of color and if and why there is an association between nativity status and HIV viral suppression.

“Programs aiming to end the HIV epidemic and reduce HIV disparities in the U.S. should consider these findings as they provide a more nuanced understanding of HIV-positive  women of color,” Nace says.

Nace, A., Johnson, G. & Eastwood, E. Comparison of HIV Viral Suppression Between a Sample of Foreign-Born and U.S.-Born Women of Color in the United States. J Immigrant Minority Health (2021).

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