Differential HIV risk for racial/ethnic minority transfemale youths and socioeconomic disparities in housing, residential stability, and education

• Published in: American journal of public health (1971) 2015-07, Vol.105 Suppl 3 (S3), p.e41-e47
• Main Authors: Wilson, Erin C, Chen, Yea-Hung, Arayasirikul, Sean, Fisher, Marla, Pomart, W Andres, Le, Victory, Raymond, H Fisher, McFarland, Willi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adolescent; Adult; AIDS; Community Health; Continental Population Groups; Educational Status; Epidemiology; Female; Focus Groups; Gender identity; Health Status Disparities; HIV; HIV Infections - epidemiology; HIV Infections - ethnology; HIV/AIDS; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Persons; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Minority & ethnic groups; Online Research and Practice; Prevalence; Prevention; Public health; Racial discrimination; Residence Characteristics; Risk factors; San Francisco - epidemiology; Socioeconomic Factors; Studies; Teenagers; Transgender Persons; Unsafe Sex
• ISSN: 0090-0036; 1541-0048
• DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302443

We examined HIV prevalence and risk behaviors of 282 trans*female youths aged 16 to 24 years participating in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, SHINE study from 2012 to 2013 to determine differences between racial/ethnic minority and White youths. We conducted the χ(2) test to determine distributional differences between racial/ethnic minority and White participants in sociodemographic factors, HIV-related risk behaviors, and syndemic factors. Of the trans*female youths, 4.8% were HIV positive. Racial/ethnic minority and White trans*female youths differed significantly in gender identity and sexual orientation. Racial/ethnic minority youths also had significantly lower educational attainment, were less likely to have lived with their parents of origin as a child, and were significantly more likely to engage in recent condomless anal intercourse than were Whites. Efforts to assess the impact of multiple-minority stress on racial/minority trans*female youths are needed imminently, and prevention efforts must address macrolevel disparities for trans*female youths, especially those from racial/ethnic minority groups, to reduce these disparities and prevent incident cases of HIV.