HIV prevalence and factors associated with HIV positivity among Black people in primary care in Porto Alegre, Brazil, 2020-2022: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE

To examine HIV prevalence among primary care service users and to investigate factors associated with positive HIV test results among Black people.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study with data from rapid HIV testing performed in health centers in Porto Alegre-RS, Brazil. Sociodemographic differences according to race/skin color and HIV test result were analyzed using the Chi-square test and Poisson regression with robust variance.

RESULTS

Out of 92,345 people tested, 38% were Black, with 3.4% HIV prevalence. Among Black people the following were associated with higher HIV prevalence ratios (PR): being male (PR 1.62; 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 1.41; 1.85), having elementary education (PR 1.69; 95%CI 1.27; 2.24), having tuberculosis (PR 1.76; 95%CI 1.22; 2.54) and being a street dweller (PR 1.75; 95%CI 1.41; 2.18).

CONCLUSION

Black people, especially Black men with lower education levels, tuberculosis and street dwellers, have higher HIV prevalence, requiring greater attention from prevention strategies and testing for sexually transmitted infections.