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 : TX Dept. of State Health Services  East Texas: Defined by the 2010 Texas Epidemic Profile  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:

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 minorities  HIV is highest in areas with high poverty  HIV 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?