Vulnerable Places: Prison Locations, Socioeconomic Status, and HIV Infection in Texas

Abstract

U.S. prisons have higher rates of HIV infection and tend to locate in poor areas. Because the geographic concentration of vulnerable peoples creates an environment of heightened vulnerability to disease, and vulnerable places attract vulnerable people (Oppong and Harold 2009), we should expect higher HIV infection rates in areas immediately adjacent to prison facilities. Using deidentified HIV surveillance data, we explore this hypothesis. The results suggest that areas in close proximity to prison units have lower socioeconomic status and higher HIV rates, with clear distance decay, and should be prioritized for increased intervention to reduce HIV incidence.

美国监狱有着较高的爱滋病毒感染率, 并倾向位于较穷困的地区。脆弱人群的地理聚集, 创造了对疾病增加脆弱性之环境, 加上脆弱的地方吸引着脆弱的人群 (Oppong and Harold 2009), 因此在直接紧邻监狱设施的地区, 我们能期待较高的爱滋病毒感染率。我们运用匿名的爱滋病毒监控数据, 探讨此一假说。研究结果指出, 邻近监狱单位的地区, 拥有较低的社会经济地位与较高的爱滋病毒感染率, 而此一现象随着距离而明确递减, 故应优先做为为了减少爱滋病发生率而增强介入的地区。

Las cárceles de los EE.UU. tienen tasas de infección con VIH más altas y tienden a localizarse en las áreas más pobres. Debido a que la concentración geográfica de la gente vulnerable crea un entorno de mayor vulnerabilidad a la enfermedad, y a que los lugares vulnerables atraen gente vulnerable (Oppong y Harold 2009), debemos esperar tasas más altas de infección con VIH en las áreas inmediatamente adyacentes a los establecimientos carcelarios. Esta hipótesis la exploramos utilizando datos de vigilancia del VIH no identificados. Los resultados obtenidos sugieren que aquellos espacios situados en la proximidad de las unidades de reclusión registran el estatus socioeconómico más bajo y las más altas tasas de VIH, con un claro declive en función de la distancia, y que son esas áreas las que deben recibir prioridad para aplicar medidas que ayuden a reducir la incidencia del VIH.

Key Words::

• HIV
• place vulnerability
• socioeconomic status
• Texas

关键词::

• 爱滋病毒
• 地方脆弱性
• 社会经济地位
• 德州

Palabras clave::

• VIH
• vulnerabilidad por logar
• estatus socioeconómico
• Texas

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joseph R. Oppong

JOSEPH R. OPPONG is a Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include the geography of HIV and other diseases and simulating geographic patterns of communicable disease spread.

Libbey Kutch

LIBBEY KUTCH is a doctoral student in the Department of Geography at the Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824. E-mail: [email protected]. Her research interests include identifying vulnerable populations and understanding the drivers of vulnerability to help alleviate health disparities.

Chetan Tiwari

CHETAN TIWARI is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76207. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include disease mapping, spatial analysis of HIV/AIDS outcomes, computational epidemiology, and location modeling.

Sonia Arbona

SONIA ARBONA is a Medical Geographer and Epidemiologist in the Texas Department of State Health Services at Austin, TX 78714. E-mail: [email protected]. Her research interests include epidemiology and spatial analysis of HIV and STD.