Background: In the United States, blacks, or African Americans, are overwhelmingly urban and are susceptible to high rates of HIV. However, the specific factors that are responsible for elevated rates of HIV infection among African Americans remain unclear. The literature on socioeconomic status (SES) and health has recently emphasized the importance of using area-based measures of SES because these measures can capture aspects of living conditions that may not be reflected in individual-based measures. Economic deprivation and racial residential segregation are two residential characteristics that may have deleterious consequences for the quality of life of blacks and have emerged as potential contributors to the health of disadvantaged people in urban areas.
Objectives: This study examines the extent to which racial residential segregation is associated with AIDS/HIV related mortality for urban residents between the ages of 15 and 64. Methods: Data is extracted from the National Center for Health Statistics Detail Mortality Files from 1989 through 1991 and combined with data from a variety of sources (i.e., U.S. Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Education). Multiple regression equations are used to assess the association between residential segregation and AIDS/HIV related mortality.
Results: Residential segregation predicted elevated rates of AIDS/HIV related mortality for African Americans, even after controlling for a variety of social indicators.
Conclusions: Findings suggest the importance of identifying more systematically the specific characteristics of neighborhoods, both black and white, that may serve as markers for disease and death.
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe how economically-deprived segregated areas are related to HIV/AIDS mortality. 2. Understand specific residential characteristics that may have deleterious consequences for the quality of life for racial and ethnic minorities. 3. Conceptualize how aspects of social structure and social context are related to the onset and spread of HIV.
Keywords: Adult Health, Residential Mobility
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.