Sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics associated with perceived discrimination in healthcare settings among Black persons with diagnosed HIV in the United States

ABSTRACT

Research that explores the intra-racial socio-demographic and clinical characteristics associated with perceived discrimination in healthcare settings in the US is lacking. We examined the prevalence of self-reported discrimination in HIV care settings during the past 12 months among Black persons from a nationally representative sample of US adults with diagnosed HIV collected 6/2018-5/2019. We assessed the prevalence of self-reported discrimination in HIV care settings during the past 12 months, perceived reasons for discrimination, and factors associated with discrimination among Black persons with diagnosed HIV (n = 1,631). Overall, 22% reported experiencing discrimination in a healthcare setting; discrimination was most often attributed to HIV status. Those reporting discrimination were younger, MSM, and living at or below the federal poverty level. They also experienced homelessness, incarceration and illicit substance use in the past 12 months, and anxiety and depression symptoms in the past 2 weeks. They were less likely to use ART or report 100% ART dose adherence in the past 30 days. No associations were found with viral suppression. Systems are needed to monitor, evaluate reports of, and address discrimination in healthcare settings. Incorporating anti-discrimination policies and continuing education opportunities for providers and staff may reduce experiences of discrimination among persons with HIV.

KEYWORDS:

• HIV
• discrimination
• healthcare
• Black

Acknowledgements

We thank MMP participants, project area staff, and Provider and Community Advisory Board members. We also acknowledge the contributions of the Clinical Outcomes Team and Behavioral and Clinical Surveillance Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This project was supported in part by an appointment to the Research Participation Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors .

Data availability statement

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article .