Am J Prev Med. 1994 Jul-Aug;10(4):217-22. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE

To characterize the socioeconomic status of persons with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), 11 U.S. state and city health departments interviewed 2,898 persons > or = 18 years of age reported with AIDS between June 1, 1990, and January 31, 1993. Among men who have sex with men, white men reported the lowest percentage (9%), and Central/South American (50%) and Mexican men (40%) reported the highest percentages not completing 12 years of school. Among intravenous drug users (IDUs), 35% of white men, 64% of black men, 67% of Puerto Rican men, 29% of white women, and 63% of black women had not completed 12 years of school. Overall, 77% of the men and 90% of the women were unemployed; we also found racial/ethnic differences by employment but to a lesser degree than differences in education. Among women, but not among men, differences in household income by race and ethnicity were marked; 76% of white and 91% of black female IDUs reported a household income of $10,000. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention programs must be targeted toward the educational level of the populations served, and HIV services must adapt to the financial circumstances of their clientele.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/ECONOMICS/ETHNOLOGY/ *EPIDEMIOLOGY/PSYCHOLOGY Adolescence Adult Blacks/STATISTICS & NUMER DATA Comparative Study Female Hispanic Americans/STATISTICS & NUMER DATA Homosexuality, Male/STATISTICS & NUMER DATA Human Male Population Surveillance *Socioeconomic Factors Substance Abuse, Intravenous/EPIDEMIOLOGY United States/EPIDEMIOLOGY Whites/STATISTICS & NUMER DATA JOURNAL ARTICLE