Widening Racial and Ethnic Disparities in AIDS Incidence in Salt Lake City-Ogden, Utah, 1990-2000

Authors

Erika K. Barth, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Sang Lim Lee, Utah State University
Eric N. Reither, Utah State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title

Utah's Health: An Annual Review

Publication Date

2008

Publisher

University of Utah

Volume

XIII

First Page

10

Last Page

16

Abstract

Context: Public health agencies have identified the elimination of health disparities as a major policy objective.

Objectives: The main goals of this study were to assess the magnitude of racial/ethnic disparities in rates of AIDS incidence in the metropolitan statistical area of Salt Lake City-Ogden, Utah and determine how those disparities have changed over the period 1990-2000.

Methods: Incidence rates were calculated using data from the AIDS Public Information Data Set (numerators) and US Census Bureau (denominators). Rates of AIDS incidence were produced for broad demographic groups (e.g., Hispanics) in Salt Lake City-Ogden. In addition, age-standardized incidence rates were produced for groups defined by age, sex and race/ethnicity, permitting careful examination of trends in racial/ethnic disparities.

Results: In Salt Lake City-Ogden’s general population, AIDS incidence dropped from 11.23 per 100,000 in 1990 to 7.99 per 100,000 in 2000—a decline of about 29%. AIDS incidence rates also dropped for populations of non-Hispanic Blacks (-15.12%) and non-Hispanic Whites (-36.72%), but climbed among Hispanics (11.89%). Of all groups examined, Hispanic females experienced the largest increase in AIDS incidence over this period (58.27%). Rate ratios indicate that racial/ethnic disparities in AIDS incidence widened during the 1990s, both between non-Hispanic Whites and non-Hispanic Blacks (up 33.75%) and between non-Hispanic Whites and Hispanics (up 76.59%). Perhaps the most striking finding is the 113.35% increase in the disparity in AIDS incidence between non-Hispanic White and Hispanic females. Although racial/ ethnic disparities in AIDS incidence generally widened between 1990 and 2000, it is encouraging to note that the disparity between non-Hispanic White and non- Hispanic Black females declined by almost 6%.

Conclusion: Despite progress in reducing rates of AIDS incidence in Salt Lake City- Ogden’s general population, racial/ethnic disparities widened considerably between 1990 and 2000.

Comments

Originally published by the University of Utah. Publisher's PDF available through remote link.

Recommended Citation

Barth Cottrell, Erika K., Sang Lim Lee, and Eric N. Reither. 2008. “Widening Racial and Ethnic Disparities in AIDS Incidence in Salt Lake City-Ogden, Utah, 1990-2000.” Utah’s Health: An Annual Review 13:10-16.