Economic status of HIV-infected women living in rural areas in California

Background: HIV is increasingly affecting both women and individuals in rural areas. Most of the research on HIV-infected rural women has been performed in resource-scare global settings or the southeastern U.S. This study aimed to further understand the demographics and economic status of rural, HIV-infected women in California.

Methods: Retrospective structured interviews with 59 HIV-infected women living in rural areas. Eleven facilities were randomly sampled to participate and all HIV-infected female patients seeking care during four months of 2007 were eligible to participate.

Results: The majority of women were >40 (74%) and white (50%), followed by Latina (33%). Most were currently single (85%), and spoke primarily English (75%). 73% had an annual household income <$9,000 per year, with 32% reporting an income <$0,000 per year. However, 68% had at least a high school education, with 42% reporting at minimum some college. 33% were also the sole provider for a dependent child. 56% reported that their job situation had changed since learning their HIV status, with 69% of that group needing to leave work or limit on hours due to health status and another 18% being laid-off due to HIV.

Conclusions: HIV-infected women in rural areas, and their dependents, face economic challenges. Income levels are below predicted based on educational levels, and the majority are living below the poverty line. Interventions such as education of employers, which have been successful in some resource-scare countries, may be necessary to ensure such women are able to remain employed.