Assessing Differences in CDC-Funded HIV Testing by Urbanicity, United States, 2016.
Deesha PatelNicole Taylor-AidooAngèle MarandetJanet HeitgerdBarbara MaciakPublished in: Journal of community health (2020)
HIV prevention efforts have contributed to a decline in annual HIV infections in the United States. However, progress has been uneven and certain groups and geographic areas continue to be disproportionately affected. Subsequent to implementation of CDC's high-impact HIV prevention approach to reducing new infections, we analyzed national-level CDC-funded HIV test data from 2016 to describe the population being reached in three urbanicity settings (metropolitan: ≥ 1,000,000 population; urban: 50,000-999,999; rural: < 50,000). Over 70% of CDC-funded HIV tests and almost 80% of persons newly diagnosed with HIV as a result of CDC-funded testing occurred in metropolitan areas. Nonetheless, CDC-funded testing efforts are reaching urban and rural areas, especially in the South, providing opportunities to identify persons unaware of their HIV status and link those with newly diagnosed HIV to medical care and prevention services. While CDC-funded testing efforts have continued to focus on population subgroups and geographic areas at greatest risk, efforts should also continue in rural areas and among groups in need with a low national burden.