Disparities in Incidence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection Among Black and White Women - United States, 2010-2016.

Abstract

Incident human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections among adolescent females and women declined during 2010-2016, with the largest decrease (21%) occurring among black women (1). However, in 2016, although black women accounted for 13% of the U.S. female population, 60% of new HIV infections among women were in black women, indicating persisting disparities (1). CDC used the population attributable proportion (PAP) disparity measure to describe the proportional decrease in HIV infection among black and white women combined that would be realized if the group with the higher rate (blacks) had the same rate as did the group with the lower rate (whites) (2). Analyses indicated that an estimated 3,900 of 4,200 (93%) incident HIV infections among black women in 2016 would not have occurred if rates were the same for black and white women. The PAP disparity measure decreased from 0.75 in 2010 to 0.70 in 2016, suggesting that if incidence rates for black women were the same as those for white women, the annual number of incident HIV infections among black and white women would have been 75% lower in 2010 and 70% lower in 2016. Continued efforts are needed to identify and address social and structural determinants associated with HIV-related disparities to eliminate these disparities and decrease HIV incidence among black women.