Género Y Sexualidad: A Nationwide Study of the Social Determinants of Latine Gender Difference in HIV Testing

Abstract

Latine communities comprise 18% of the U.S. population but account for 27% of all new HIV infections in 2019. Arguably, a key ingredient to reducing HIV infection rate is knowing one’s status. A precursor to knowing is actually getting tested for HIV. The more information one has concerning how social determinants serve as conduits and barriers to getting testing, the more beneficial to all communities, especially marginalized ones. To help fill this knowledge gap, this article utilizes critical race theory and intersectionality as theoretical frameworks, employs secondary analysis of the Latine sample within the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as hierarchical logistical regression modeling to examine the relative impact of health and healthcare, substance use, and key demographics on whether or not a respondent gets tested for HIV. Furthermore, to examine gender differences across these relationships for Latine adults, analyses are performed first for both genders and then separately for male and female respondents.