Dalmida SG, Hunte-Ceasar T, Martinez GCB, Schweizer A, Freeman B, DiValerio E, Huang P, Mugoya GCT and Miller A
Objective: The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) currently has the 3rd highest per capita rate of HIV in the United States. The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the risk factors that contribute to high rates of HIV in the USVI. Methods: Data from the CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) from 2005 and 2009 were examined using statistical analysis with PASW 18.0 software. Local HIV surveillance data presented in the USVI 2012- 2016 HIV Prevention Plan was also reviewed. Descriptive statistics were conducted using chi squared tests and a logistical regression model to examine sociodemographic factors that may contribute to HIV risk. Results: Aggregation of data from the USVI indicate an increase in reported history of HIV testing and a decrease in reported high HIV-associated risk behavior between 2005 and 2009. Analysis of the data showed that being a young adult significantly (twice higher) increased the odds of being at high risk for HIV as 19.7% of 18-24 year olds reported high HIV risk. Adults between the ages of 25-44 were 2.2 times more likely to be at a high risk for HIV, and 59.2% reported high risk. Being between the ages of 25 and 44 was the only found statistically significant predictor of high HIV risk of any category, even among other categories that were reported as being at high risk by the 2014 USVI HIV Surveillance Report. Conclusion: Using results from this study, future HIV prevention plans could be tailored to the high risk age group of young adults in order to facilitate HIV care and treatment. More studies are needed to examine the HIV-associated sexual risk behaviors of young adults
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