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June 2012
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Reproductive and Sexual Health
Today, June 21, 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data showing that in 2009 an estimated 1,148,200 adults and adolescents age 13 and older were living with HIV in the United States, and 81.9% of them were aware of their infection. The prevention of HIV transmission, testing to diagnose HIV, and prompt medical care for HIV infection are essential components of Reproductive and Sexual Health. Knowledge of an individual’s HIV status is central to HIV treatment and prevention.
June 27 is National HIV Testing Day (NHTD), an annual event to raise awareness of the importance of knowing one’s HIV status and to encourage people to get tested for HIV. To commemorate NHTD, this month we are focusing on one of the two Reproductive and Sexual Health Indicators—persons living with HIV who know their serostatus.
Receiving reproductive health services is another essential component of Reproductive and Sexual Health. For many, reproductive health services are the entry point into the medical care system. These services improve health and reduce costs by not only addressing pregnancy prevention, testing and treatment for HIV and STDs, and prenatal care, but also by screening for intimate partner violence and reproductive cancers, providing substance abuse treatment referrals, and counseling on nutrition and physical activity.
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Leading Health Indicators
Leading Health Indicators are critical health issues that—if tackled appropriately—will dramatically reduce the leading causes of death and preventable illnesses.
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Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going
From 2006 to 2009, the proportion of people age 13 and older living with HIV who knew their serostatus increased from 80.6% to 81.9%. During the same time period, the estimated number of people living with HIV increased from 1,061,100 to 1,148,200. In 2009, several groups experienced lower knowledge of serostatus, including:
- Men overall (compared to women)
- People whose HIV exposure was only through sexual activity, including men who have sex with men, heterosexual males, and heterosexual females (compared to female injection drug users)
- Younger age groups (compared to older age groups)
- Blacks, Hispanics, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and Asians (compared to whites)
During 2006–2010, 78.6% of sexually experienced females age 15–44 reported receiving reproductive health services in the last 12 months. Several groups experienced lower levels of receipt of reproductive health services compared to their counterparts, including:
- Females with family incomes less than four times the Federal poverty limit (compared to those with family incomes between four and five times the Federal poverty limit)
- Those with less than a high school education (compared to those with advanced degrees)
- Those without health insurance (compared to those with public insurance)
- Those age 15–17 and 25–44 (compared to those age 18–24)
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Who’s Leading the Leading Health Indicators?
The Bronx Knows Raises Awareness for HIV Testing and Care
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New York City (NYC) was among the first cities to be significantly affected by the HIV epidemic. Today, NYC has an HIV rate almost 2.5 times the national average.1,2 The Bronx has been hit particularly hard; according to 2007 data, the Bronx (17% of NYC’s population) represented nearly a quarter of all HIV infections in NYC, and a third of HIV-related deaths.
To combat this serious and consistent public health threat, in 2008 the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene partnered with 78 community-based organizations, community health centers, hospitals, colleges and universities, and faith-based organizations to start a program called The Bronx Knows. Launched on National HIV Testing Day, The Bronx Knows leverages these partnerships to raise awareness for HIV testing, make HIV testing more accessible, promote testing as a routine part of medical care, and improve linkage of people diagnosed with HIV to appropriate medical care.
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1http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/ah/ah.shtml#facts
2New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 2008
Reference in this bulletin to any specific product, process, service, organization, or company does not constitute its endorsement or recommendation by the U.S. Government or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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