Meagan Hatton

Department of

Geography

POVERTY AND HIV/AIDS IN EAST

TEXAS

HIV/AIDS has killed over 550,000 people in the U.S.

Treatments- Infected people living longer

Rates are highest in extreme poverty areas and among Blacks (CDC, 2011)

Texas ranks 4 th for highest rates (CDC, 2012),

East Texas: highest rates

BACKGROUND

Level of Education: Prevention to reduce risky behaviors (Kim, 2006)

Income and Poverty: Access to care & transportation (CDC, 2008) Extreme poor urban areas have higher risk (CDC, 2011)

Race/Ethnicity: HIV prevalence is 8 times higher than Whites (CDC, 2010)

Socioeconomic Status: More disadvantaged people tend to live in disadvantaged

places-> Place Vulnerability (Oppong and Harold, 2009)

HIV FACTORS

Metropolitan counties: Dallas, Ft. Worth, Harris, and Travis

Extreme urban poverty vs. Rural poverty

High Black populations

High rates of poverty and income inequality

Harris County has highest rate in Texas

WHY EAST TEXAS?

1. Counties with high percentages of Blacks will have high rates of HIV/AIDS.

2. Counties with high rates of poverty will have high rates of HIV/AIDS.

3. More urban areas have higher HIV/AIDS rates.

4. Counties with a high % of people with low SES have high rates of HIV/AIDS.

RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

HIV/AIDS cases: De-identified zip code level data- 1999-2008: TX Dept. of State Health Services

East Texas: Defined by the 2010 Texas Epidemic Profi le

Statistical and spatial analysis

Variables: Race/Ethnicity, % Poverty, Education, Urban/Rural areas

from 2010 Census

METHODOLOGY

Study Area: East Texas Counties

Rate of HIV/AIDS in East Texas Counties: 1999-2008

Percent White By County

-.459**

Percent Black By County

.336**

Percent Hispanic By County

.333**

Percent Urban By County

.323**

Percent Poverty By County

.217*

Percent With Less Than a High School Diploma

.171

HIV/AIDS is much higher in the central portion of east Texas, particularly in urban areas and neighboring counties.

Poverty, % Blacks, % Hispanics, and urban areas had

a positive, significant correlation with the rate of HIV/AIDS.

% Whites had a negative, significant correlation with the rate of HIV/AIDS in a county.

Level of education was not statistically significant

RESULTS

Poverty - Extreme urban poverty

Blacks and Hispanics have high rates, with high rates of poverty

Education - not statistically significant

ANALYSIS

HIV is highest among minoritiesHIV is highest in areas with high povertyHIV is highest in urban areas

CONCLUSION

In-depth neighborhood spatial analysis in selected counties with highest rates

Hispanic population

Pinpoint risk factors - Mode of transmission

FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS

QUESTIONS?