� Calling attention to the disproportionate effect that HIV/AIDS has on minority women in the US, particularly blacks and Hispanics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued a new Committee Opinion, Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome and Women of Color. While all women should be screened for HIV, physicians and their patients must be aware that women of color are disproportionately affected by the disease.
"Rates of infection among African Americans-and also among Hispanics-are much, much higher than among white women," said ACOG Fellow D. Heather Watts, MD, who helped develop the Committee Opinion as a liaison member to ACOG's Committee on Health Care for Underserved Women. "Sixty-four percent of women with HIV are black, even though blacks only make up about 13% of the US population."
In 2004, HIV infection was the leading cause of death for black women ages 25 to 34. According to the new Committee Opinion, a combination of testing, education, and brief behavioral interventions can help reduce the rate of HIV infection among women of color.
"Education plays an important role. Because HIV is more prevalent in their communities, women of color need to know they are more likely to be exposed to HIV," Dr. Watts said. "All women should understand how to protect themselves, such as limiting their number of partners and using condoms consistently." Studies show that behavioral interventions can increase rates of condom use, reduce risk-taking behaviors, and decrease rates of acquisition of sexually transmitted infections.
"Physicians can explain to their patients that HIV screening is recommended for all adults now and that there are numerous benefits to being tested," Dr. Watts said. "We need to continue to destigmatize HIV screening and make it a part of routine care."
Committee Opinion #414, "Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome and Women of Color," is published in the August 2008 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is the national medical organization representing over 52,000 members who provide health care for women.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
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