Human immunodeficiency virus seroprevalence in female intravenous drug users: The puzzle of black women's risk

This study of 155 female i.v. drug users found that black women had higher HIV seroprevalence than white women (21% compared to 7%, respectively, odds ratio = 3.59, 95% CI 1.28-9.98). To attempt to explain why black female i.v. drug users were more likely to test HIV antibody positive, the ethnic di...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social science & medicine (1982) 1989, Vol.29 (9), p.1071-1076
Main Authors: Lewis, Diane K., Watters, John K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
Adult
African Americans
AIDS
Black people
Contraceptive Devices, Male - statistics & numerical data
Drug addiction
epidemiology
European Continental Ancestry Group
Female
Forecasting
HIV
HIV epidemiology i.v. drug users women's health
HIV Seropositivity - epidemiology
HIV Seropositivity - ethnology
HIV Seropositivity - transmission
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
i.v. drug users
Intravenous drug addicts
Medical research
Middle Aged
Risk Factors
Sex Factors
Sexual Behavior
Substance Abuse, Intravenous - epidemiology
Substance Abuse, Intravenous - ethnology
United States
Women
women's health
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Summary:This study of 155 female i.v. drug users found that black women had higher HIV seroprevalence than white women (21% compared to 7%, respectively, odds ratio = 3.59, 95% CI 1.28-9.98). To attempt to explain why black female i.v. drug users were more likely to test HIV antibody positive, the ethnic distribution of a series of risk factors associated with HIV seropositivity, such as needle sharing, high risk sexual behavior and history of sexually transmitted disease, was examined. Either there was no significant difference between the two groups or white i.v. drug users were more likely than blacks to engage in specific risk behaviors. Although this study failed to identify risk factors associated with higher HIV seropositivity in black female i.v. drug users, it did uncover important trends in the data. These trends are analyzed in terms of observed or possible social and cultural differences between black and white women. It is suggested that these underlying social and cultural differences may hold the key to black female i.v. drug users' greater risk of HIV infection.
ISSN:0277-9536
1873-5347
DOI:10.1016/0277-9536(89)90018-X