McIntyre Alissa C, Cody Shameka L, Ezemenaka Christina J, Johnson Karen, Mugoya George, Foster Pamela
Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama, 348 Gordon Palmer Hall, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487-0348, USA.
Capstone College of Nursing, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA.
J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2025 Feb;12(1):241-249. doi: 10.1007/s40615-023-01868-z. Epub 2023 Nov 20.
HIV prevalence in the rural South remains high among Black Americans due to limited access to prevention and treatment services and poverty. HIV care inequities for Black Americans living in the rural South are further intensified by high mortality rates, low HIV health literacy, stigma, and discrimination. Few studies have focused on HIV knowledge and risk factors within Black Americans in the rural South.
This cross-sectional study examined the association between HIV risk factors, HIV knowledge, and utilization of HIV and/or sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing services among Black Americans (N = 200) living in the rural South. HIV knowledge, risk factors, and utilization of testing services were assessed via The HIV Knowledge Questionnaire, The HIV Risk Factor Questionnaire, and three investigator-generated questions, respectively. Linear regression was used to examine the relationship between demographic characteristics, HIV knowledge, utilization of testing services, and HIV risk factors.
Among 200 participants, a smaller percentage (37.7%, n = 75) reported using HIV/STI testing services compared to non-users. Controlling for demographic covariates in the model, HIV knowledge (p < .0001) and marital status (p = .010) were significantly associated with HIV risk factors. HIV risk factors decreased as HIV knowledge increased. Individuals who reported being single also reported having fewer risk factors.
Future research should examine the impact of HIV education tailored for individuals with greater HIV risk factors within rural Black Americans. Studies exploring barriers to the utilization of HIV/STI testing services within Black American rural communities are warranted.
由于预防和治疗服务获取有限以及贫困问题，美国南部农村地区的非裔美国人中艾滋病毒流行率仍然很高。高死亡率、低艾滋病毒健康素养、耻辱感和歧视进一步加剧了生活在美国南部农村地区的非裔美国人在艾滋病毒护理方面的不平等。很少有研究关注美国南部农村地区非裔美国人的艾滋病毒知识和风险因素。
这项横断面研究调查了生活在美国南部农村地区的非裔美国人（N = 200）中艾滋病毒风险因素、艾滋病毒知识与艾滋病毒和/或性传播感染（STI）检测服务利用情况之间的关联。艾滋病毒知识、风险因素和检测服务利用情况分别通过艾滋病毒知识问卷、艾滋病毒风险因素问卷以及三个研究人员提出的问题进行评估。使用线性回归来检验人口统计学特征、艾滋病毒知识、检测服务利用情况和艾滋病毒风险因素之间的关系。
在200名参与者中，报告使用艾滋病毒/性传播感染检测服务的比例（37.7%，n = 75）低于未使用者。在模型中控制人口统计学协变量后，艾滋病毒知识（p <.0001）和婚姻状况（p = 0.010）与艾滋病毒风险因素显著相关。随着艾滋病毒知识的增加，艾滋病毒风险因素减少。报告单身的个体也报告有较少的风险因素。
未来的研究应考察为美国农村地区非裔美国人中艾滋病毒风险因素较高的个体量身定制的艾滋病毒教育的影响。有必要开展研究探索美国农村非裔社区中艾滋病毒/性传播感染检测服务利用的障碍。
