HIV Health Disparities Among Women of Color

Women of colour bear a disproportionate share of the global HIV burden, experiencing higher rates of new infections, delayed diagnosis and lower levels of virologic suppression than their peers. Structural inequities—including poverty, limited access to culturally competent care, and intersecting experiences of racism, sexism and HIV stigma—undermine prevention, treatment adherence and mental well-being. Social determinants of health such as housing instability, food insecurity and unemployment exacerbate vulnerability to HIV and hamper retention in care. The cumulative impact of discrimination and microaggressions contributes to poorer health-related quality of life and higher levels of depression and post-traumatic stress. Addressing these disparities requires integrated, community-engaged interventions that combine biomedical, behavioural and structural components, tailored to cultural contexts and informed by implementation science. Empowerment strategies, mobile health technologies and peer support networks have shown promise in improving adherence, enhancing resilience and fostering sustained viral suppression, with lessons that resonate across diverse settings and populations.

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HIV Health Disparities Among Women of Color publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in hiv health disparities among women of color across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Virologic suppression: Maintenance of HIV viral load below detectable levels through effective antiretroviral treatment.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART): Combination of medications that inhibit HIV replication and restore immune function.

Syndemic: Co-occurring epidemics that interact synergistically to exacerbate adverse health outcomes within a population.

Measurement invariance: Statistical property indicating that a scale or questionnaire measures the same construct consistently across different groups or time points.

References

1. The Black women first initiative: using implementation science to examine bundled interventions to improve care and treatment coordination for Black women with HIV. BMC Health Services Research (2023).
2. Testing for Measurement Invariance (MI): Do the Structures of Microaggression, Discrimination, and Resilience Among Black Women Living with HIV Remain the Same Across Time?. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (2024).
3. Using network analysis to elucidate the relationships among support systems, trauma and depressive symptoms, self-silencing, and risk of HIV viral non-suppression among black women living with HIV. Journal of Behavioral Medicine (2024).