System Map: HIV among African American Community

HIV among African American Community Submitting the Final System Map
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The U.S. has made great strides in fighting and overcoming the effects of HIV/AIDS. However, there are still factions of the country’s population that are still feeling the impact of the infection. In African American communities, the rate of infection with HIV remains to be quite high. According to Richard Wolitski (2018), the total number of HIV infections is 1.1 million. Of this total, African Americans account for 43% or 470,000. Wolitski further indicates that 74,100 individuals have been infected with HIV and are unaware of the infection. Therefore, these people continue to spread the virus to others in the community. In 2019, the CDC (2022) indicated that of the new HIV diagnoses in the U.S., African Americans represented 42% or 15,305 of the total number. The report further indicates that most of those affected were men, especially male-to-male sexual contact. However, the CDC report also indicates that progress has been made to help reduce HIV diagnoses among African Americans, with the numbers decreasing steadily from 2015 to 2019.
The narrative below is developed against the background information on the abovementioned issue. African Americans are greatly incurring the heaviest impact of HIV/AIDS. The elements addressed in this narrative include health behaviors, health education, social determinants of health, policy, funding, and community health infrastructure. The system map above indicates the relationships between these elements and their components, with their relationships depicted in blue, red, and black lines.
Health Behaviors
Health behaviors related to HIV are some issues that expose individuals to HIV infection. These behaviors predispose these individuals to HIV and make it increasingly easy to acquire the infection. Some of the behaviors among African Americans highlighted in the system map include alcohol intake, risky sexual activities, sharing syringes, and avoiding using condoms. The CDC (2022) reports that among African Americans, 7% of individuals with HIV are known to have sex without any transmission prevention measures or strategies. Further, the CDC reports that 7% of individuals in the African American community living without HIV happen to have sex without any HIV prevention measures. Concerning syringes, the CDC reports that the percentage of African Americans without HIV who happen to share a syringe with other people stands at 23% (2022). The avoidance of using condoms is also another health behavior that the CDC reports exposes a majority of African Americans to HIV infection.
Health Education
Health education is a key factor that can help reduce HIV infections. However, as it stands, there is still a major problem within the African American community. The CDC (2022) reports that HIV education among the African American community is low. First, few individuals within the community are aware of their status and are receiving the care they need. Secondly, few know how best to lead healthier lives. For example, the knowledge of viral load and how it lowers the risk of transmitting HIV is a crucial element many are unaware of. Further, those without HIV also show poor education on HIV and how to curtail its transmission. The CDC (2022) notes that though there has been a rise in the number of people taking Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis or PrEP, significant gaps remain when African Americans are compared to the white Americans (11% and 69%, respectively). So, health education is needed to help prevent the rising HIV rates.
Social Determinants of Health
Social determinants of health are some factors that impact or determine a community's healthcare. The African Americans include poverty, wealth inequality, affordable housing, income inequality, and food security. According to De Jesus, and Williams (2018), the risk of contracting HIV is linked to several social determinants of health, including poverty, poor education, lack of employment, and homelessness. The researchers add that lack of employment increases the odds of risky sexual behavior and the use of drugs. Further, the researchers note that poverty also creates an environment that promotes the transmission of HIV/AIDS. One way that these factors contribute to the spread of HIV is by socially destabilizing people and exposing them to risky sexual behaviors. Therefore, as showcased in the system map, these behaviors directly impact HIV infection and transmission.
Policy
The disproportionate impact that HIV has had on the African American community is proof of poor policy adoption and implementation. Though policy efforts have been adopted to help reduce HIV infection in the African American community, more needs to be done. First, there is the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program legislation which seeks to help individuals with low income to fight HIV (HRSA, 2022). However, this too appears to fall short within the African American community. Every year, the U.S. observes the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day or the NBHAAD, which mainly seeks to spread education and awareness about HIV and how to reduce infecti...