 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Justice Mbizo, MS, DrPH (c), Public Health Department, School of Graduate Studies, Morgan State University, 1700 E. Coldspring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21251, 443-226-1758, jmbizo@morgan.edu, Emmanuel A. Taylor, MSc, DrPH, Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Morgan State University, 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Jenkins Bldg., Suite 351, Baltimore, MD 21251, and Mian B. Hossain, MSC, MHS, PhD, MPH/DrPH Public Health Program, Morgan State University, 343 Jenkins Building, 1700 E. Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21251-0001.
Objective: Potent antiretroviral therapy has become the standard care for people with HIV infection. Its use has resulted in significant reductions in the rate of progression to full-blown acquired immunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS) and in mortality from HIV. Using data from the 1996-1998 longitudinal HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study (HCSUS), this study examines socioeconomic, demographic and structural factors influencing the utilization of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) among HIV/AIDS infected African-Americans in treatment in the contiguous United States. Variations in health care access and utilization for HIV/AIDS have been reported in the general population. However,little research has been done on antiretroviral therapy (HAART) drugs utilization patterns within any racial group. Intra-racial studies are needed to better understand the barriers faced by different racial groups. Methods: A sample size (n = 994) of African-Americans ages 18 and older is abstracted from the HCSUS data set and analyzed using STATA software. The HCSUS data was collected from sampled patients of selected providers. Results: Preliminary findings suggest much of what has been reported on the general population, with other barriers specific to African Americans. In addition to descriptive, bivariate analysis and logistic regression analysis will be performed to test the association between independent variables and utilization of HAART. Conclusion: Whereas all HIV-positive patients experience some barriers to HAART, HIV-positive African Americans have additional systematic barriers to overcome. Implications for public health policy will be discussed.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Access to Health Care, African American
Related Web page: none
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.