142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Examining the spatial relationships between faith-based organizations, HIV/AIDS prevalence, and related services in Florida

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 5:10 PM - 5:30 PM

Amanda Terminello, MPH , University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
William Parker Hinson, MPH, CPH , Department of Behavioral Science and Community Health, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Shalewa Noel-Thomas, PhD, MPH , College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Background: According to the CDC, the southern U.S. accounted for 45% of new AIDS diagnoses in 2010. The high prevalence of AIDS and lack of sufficient services of many southern communities contribute to this public health concern. By involving faith-based organizations (FBOs) in public health efforts, both the general population and faith community may benefit through improved health status, health services, social connectedness and outreach. The purpose of this research is to geographically represent the relationships between HIV/AIDS prevalence, related services, and FBOs among counties in Florida.

Methods: 2010 data from the Florida Department of Health and Florida Geographic Data Library were analyzed using spatial selection methods (Natural Breaks classification) to identify HIV/AIDS service facilities, rates of testing, and number of FBOs. A composite of these factors was analyzed to examine the distribution of FBOs and identify counties with greater needs for HIV/AIDS services.

Results: Maps were developed in order to display the relationships among the variables of interest. Among Florida’s 67 counties, 24 met criteria for low Testing Service Availability and Utilization (TSAU) and 7 met criteria for low TSAU in combination with high rates of HIV/AIDS. Among all counties, 17 had a large presence of FBOs as well as high HIV rates, 15 of which also had high AIDS rates.

Conclusions: There are areas in Florida with inadequate HIV/AIDS services given their prevalence rates. Collaborating with FBOs could provide these communities with the services they need in order to address this significant public health concern.

Learning Areas:

Chronic disease management and prevention
Diversity and culture
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Discuss how the faith community can be involved in critical public health efforts Discuss how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be used as a tool to guide community health initiatives Identify areas in Florida with the highest rates of HIV/AIDS and lowest service availability or utilization

Keyword(s): HIV/AIDS, Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a doctoral candidate in the department of Behavioral Science and Community Health with experience conducting (and teaching how to conduct) community health assessments within vulnerable populations. Furthermore, I have over 2 years of experience utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in my research - including investigating issues in healthcare accessibility.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4408.0: Faith-Based Organizations Geographical Impact on Health