Incidence of violence against HIV-infected and uninfected women: findings from the HIV Epidemiology Research (HER) study.
The effect of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on the incidence of violence against women was addressed in a prospective cohort of HIV-infected and uninfected women. Participants were enrolled between 1993 and 1995 in four US cities and followed up semiannually through 1998. Among 1,087 women with a total accrual of 2,988 person-years (PY) of follow-up, there were 185 reports of abuse (incidence rate = 6.19 per 100 PY). The rate of abuse among HIV-infected women with a CD4+ count less than 350 cells/ micro L was lower than that among HIV-infected women with more CD4+ cells/ micro L or among uninfected women (4.87, 6.92, and 6.44 per 100 PY, respectively). In multivariate analysis, being separated or divorced, having a history of abuse in adulthood, using marijuana, using crack, and having multiple sex partners were each significantly associated with an elevated abuse rate; being older was inversely associated with abuse. Among HIV-infected women, those with fewer CD4+ cells/ micro L continued to show a decreased abuse rate (hazard ratio = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.36, 0.82) after adjustment for these factors. It is important to complement existing and future HIV prevention and intervention strategies with efforts to reduce violence against women.
Gruskin
Leslie
L
Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
Gange
Stephen J
SJ
Celentano
David
D
Schuman
Paula
P
Moore
Janet S
JS
Zierler
Sally
S
Vlahov
David
D
D000328:Adult; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018023:HIV Seronegativity; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012747:Sexual Partners; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population; D014754:Violence / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*