Intimate Partner Violence and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Risk among Black and Hispanic Women

Approximately 80% of new HIV infections among U.S. women are among black/African American and Hispanic women. HIV risk may be associated with intimate partner violence (IPV); data regarding IPV for women in high-HIV prevalence areas are scarce.

Heterosexual women and their male partners in cities with high HIV prevalence were enrolled. During 2006-2007, participants completed interviews about HIV risk factors and IPV (physical violence or forced sex) experiences. Data were analyzed during 2012-2013 using multivariate logistic regression to identify individual- and partner-level IPV correlates.

Of 1,011 female respondents, 985 (97.4%) provided risk factor and demographic data. Most were non-Hispanic black/African American (82.7%); living at or below poverty (86.7%); and tested HIV-negative (96.8%). IPV-physical violence was reported by 29.1%, and IPV-forced sex by 13.7%. Being married/living with a partner; non-injection drug use; and ever discussing male partners' number of current sex partners were associated with IPV-physical violence. Women reporting concurrent sex partners and ever discussing number of male partners' past sex partners were associated with IPV-forced sex. Feeling comfortable asking a male partner to use condoms was associated with decreased IPV-physical violence and -forced sex.

Prevention interventions that enhance women's skills to decrease HIV and IPV risk are important strategies for decreasing racial/ethnic disparities among women.

Via: http://ht.ly/S8l3j 

By: Morales-Alemán MM1, Hageman K1, Gaul ZJ2, Le B1, Paz-Bailey G1, Sutton MY3.

• 1Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia.
• 2Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia; ICF International, Atlanta, Georgia.
• 3Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia