HIV Prevalence Rates Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in the Southern United States: Population-Based Estimates by Race/Ethnicity

• DOI: 10.1007/s10461-010-9820-y
• Publication Date: 2010-09-24T15:11:03Z
• Authors: Spencer Lieb; Joseph Prejean; Daniel R. Thompson; Stephen J. Fallon; Hannah Cooper; Gary J. Gates; Thomas M. Liberti; Samuel R. Friedman; Robert M. Malow
• Keywords: Adult; Male; MSM population; Gay Men; Black People; HIV Infections; White People; Young Adult; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; 5. Gender equality; HIV Seroprevalence; Risk Factors; Ethnicity; Prevalence; Humans; Southern United States; Homosexuality, Male; Health Status Disparities; Hispanic or Latino; Middle Aged; United States; 3. Good health; Black or African American; Population Surveillance; HIV/AIDS

States across the U.S. lack effective ways to quantify HIV prevalence rates among men who have sex with men (MSM). We estimated population-based HIV prevalence rates among MSM in the 17 southern states by race/ethnicity. Through 2007, estimated HIV prevalence rates per 100,000 MSM ranged from 2,607.6 among white (non-Hispanic) MSM in Maryland to 41,512.9 among black (non-Hispanic) MSM in the District of Columbia. Black MSM rates significantly exceeded Hispanic and white MSM rates in each state. Significant racial/ethnic disparities in rates persisted in a sensitivity analysis examining the possibility that minority MSM populations had been underestimated in each state. Compared with black, Hispanic, and white non-MSM males, respectively, rates at the regional level were 25.2 times higher for black MSM, 43.0 times higher for Hispanic MSM, and 106.0 times higher for white MSM. State-level analysis of racial/ethnic-specific MSM HIV prevalence rates can help guide resource allocation and assist advocacy.