Racial disparity in U.S. diagnoses of acquired immune deficiency syndrome, 2000-2009

Increased attention has been focused on health disparities among racial/ethnic groups in the U.S.

To assess the extent of progress toward meeting the targets of Healthy People 2010 objectives and eliminating disparities.

All diagnoses of AIDS during 2000-2009 among people aged ≥ 13 years in the 50 states and District of Columbia, reported to national HIV surveillance through June 2010, together with census population data were used in this analysis (conducted in March 2011). This study assesses the trend in racial/ethnic disparities in rates of AIDS diagnoses both between particular groups using rate difference (RD) and rate ratio (RR) and across the entire range of racial/ethnic subgroups using three summary measures of disparity: between-group variance (BGV); Theil index (TI); and mean log deviation (MLD).

The overall racial/ethnic disparity, black-white disparity, and Hispanic-white disparity in rates of AIDS diagnoses decreased for those aged 25-64 years from 2000 to 2009. The black-white and Hispanic-white disparity in rates of AIDS diagnoses also decreased among men aged ≥ 65 years; however, the black-white disparity increased among young men aged 13-24 years (BGV: p<0.001, black-white RD: p<0.01) from 2000 to 2009.

Findings indicate overall decreases in racial/ethnic disparities in AIDS diagnoses except in young men, particularly young black men aged 13-24 years where the burden of AIDS is increasing. HIV testing, prevention, treatment and policy-making should be a priority for this group.