The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a public health issue that has weighed down healthcare systems for decades as it costs national governments millions of dollars and enhances human suffering. Thus, evaluating its attributes, risk factors, and the affected population demographics can help practitioners develop targeted solutions to curb its spread. The following review is based on a research article investigating the racial and ethnic disparities in HIV diagnosis.
HIV is a condition that can affect an individual at any age. Therefore, the research by Linley et al. (2012) examines the racial and ethnic disparities that exist in HIV diagnosis among elderly individuals aged fifty years and above. The researchers suggest that a growing number of older individuals are living with HIV because of decreased mortality due to the condition and increased use of anti-retroviral drugs. However, individuals over 50 years are at risk of contracting the disease especially if they engage in risky behaviors such as unprotected sex and sharing needles used to administer illicit drugs.
The research method used in a study is critical to the relevance of its outcomes. Linley et al. (2012) adopted a quantitative study method that entailed analyzing surveillance data from the CDC on HIV diagnosis in 37 states from the year 2005 to 2008. Afterward, they calculated the average rates of HIV diagnoses for individuals above 50 years and compared the results with the diagnosis rates for individuals aged 13 to 49 years. The research design adds strength to the epidemiological outcomes by allowing the researchers to obtain comprehensive information regarding HIV diagnosis more efficiently (Kyngäs, 2020). Additionally, it allows for the comparison of different cases and classification according to demographic attributes, which is critical for the research objectives.
The results obtained from the analysis revealed several disparities in age and ethnicity in HIV diagnoses. Linley et al. (2012) found out that older Black individuals recorded 9.8 times more HIV diagnoses compared to elder White individuals, while elderly Latinos and Hispanics had 5.0 and 12.6 times more cases than Whites. However, younger Black and Hispanic people recorded 7.7 and 2.9 times the diagnosis rates for young White individuals (Linley et al., 2012). Therefore, racial factors correlate to the rates of HIV infections and diagnoses since more Hispanics and Blacks are diagnosed regardless of their age.
The research by Linley and others is critical for my professional advancement and excellence as a DNP graduate as it has informed me of reliable approaches to gathering and obtaining meaningful information from aggregate data. Particularly, the study is informative because it focuses on a medical condition that was once prioritized but is now neglected. Over the years, many healthcare systems have relaxed their surveillance of conditions like HIV due to its diminished incidence rates (Eaton & Kalichman, 2020). Therefore, using data recorded by various sources to draw attention to the condition can help limit negative outcomes.
Reviewing this research has enabled me to acknowledge the need for investigating chronic conditions, incurable diseases, and infectious diseases that do not receive the attention they deserve from health institutions. For example, the government, public health facilities, and hospitals have utilized vast resources to deal with conditions like TB, Polio, HIV, and Malaria. However, these diseases are still a menace in some areas (Bloom & Cadarette, 2019). Therefore, public health professionals should pay more attention to their epidemiology to guide effective solutions.
Linley and others provide critical information on the ethnic and racial disparities in HIV diagnosis. Nevertheless, the authors draw attention to the increasing number of elderly individuals being diagnosed with the disease. As a result, they suggest that researchers and clinicians should do more to address gaps in HIV prevalence studies and offer reliable solutions to limit ethnic and racial disparities in the disease’s progression.
Reference
Bloom, D. E., & Cadarette, D. (2019). Infectious disease threats in the twenty-first century: strengthening the global response. Frontiers in immunology, 10, 549. Web.
Eaton, L. A., & Kalichman, S. C. (2020). Social and behavioral health responses to COVID-19: lessons learned from four decades of an HIV pandemic. Journal of behavioral medicine, 43(3), 341-345. Web.
Linley, L., Prejean, J., An, Q., Chen, M., & Hall, H. I. (2012). Racial/ethnic disparities in HIV diagnoses among persons aged 50 years and older in 37 US States, 2005–2008. American journal of public health, 102(8), 1527-1534. Web.
Kyngäs, H. (2020). Qualitative research and content analysis. In Kyngäs, H., Mikkonen, K., Kääriäinen, M. (eds) The application of content analysis in nursing science research (pp. 3-11). Springer, Cham. Web.