The number of women in the United States with AIDS is on the rise, and women account for an increasingly larger percentage of the total AIDS cases nationally. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports women represented 24% of AIDS cases diagnosed during the first half of 1998. Since 1995, an average 12,500 cases of AIDS have been diagnosed in women each year. While lack of mandated HIV reporting across the United States does not allow for accurate data on the number of woman with HIV, based upon statistics available from states with both AIDS and HIV reporting, the CDC presumed the number of women with HIV exceeds the number of women and AIDS. There are no data available to quantify the number of women with disabling conditions who also have HIV, but a review of the literature indicates some women with disabilities are at high risk. Women with disabilities experience numerous barriers in accessing health and social services. These barriers include, for example, architectural inaccessibility of care, lack of financial resources which limit provider choice, distrust of the medical community, physical challenges which limit risk reduction alternatives, and providers' reluctance to address issues around promotion of health and wellness in the disability community, to name just a few. The presentation will highlight the potential risks for women with disabilities and offer strategies to integrate HIV/STD prevention into services for women with disabilities.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to: 1. Describe factors which place women with disabilities at high risk for HIV/STDs. 2. Identify strategies to integrate HIV/STD prevention within services for women with disabilities. 3. Highlight and inform others of opportunities for health promotion for women with disabilities
Keywords: Disability, Health Promotion
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.