Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Feb;46(2):118-124.
doi: 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000916.

High and Stable Human Immunodeficiency Virus Prevalence Among Transwomen With Low Income Recruited With Respondent-driven Sampling, San Francisco, 2010-2016

Henry F Raymond, Erin C Wilson, Tracey Packer  1 , Theresa Ick  1 , Jess Lin  1 , Willi McFarland
Affiliations

High and Stable Human Immunodeficiency Virus Prevalence Among Transwomen With Low Income Recruited With Respondent-driven Sampling, San Francisco, 2010-2016

Henry F Raymond et al. Sex Transm Dis. 2019 Feb.

Abstract

Background: Studies have documented high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence among transwomen in the United States; however, to our knowledge, no studies have documented trends in HIV prevalence in this population.

Methods: We used respondent-driven sampling to sample transwomen in San Francisco for 3 HIV prevalence and behavioral surveys in 2010, 2013, and 2016. Our analysis of point estimates and trends were weighted for the sampling method.

Results: Human immunodeficiency virus prevalence by serological testing in the survey was 38.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 32.4-45.2), 33.7% (95% CI, 25.9-41.5), and 31.6% (95% CI, 12.2-38.1) in 2010, 2013, and 2016, respectively. Disparities in higher HIV prevalence by black, Latino, and Asian race/ethnicity and lower education level persisted through 2016.

Conclusions: Based on a statistical test for trend, HIV prevalence among transwomen has remained high and stable from 2010 to 2016. Human immunodeficiency virus infection is still highest at 31.6% compared to any other group in San Francisco. We also observed that older transwomen had significantly higher odds of living with HIV than younger women over the last 2 waves of data collection. Taken together, these trends suggest that there is declining incidence of new HIV infections among low-income transwomen in San Francisco. Moreover, among transwomen, HIV disproportionately affects transwomen of color.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Herbst JH, Jacobs ED, Finlayson TJ, McKleroy VS, Neumann MS, Crepaz N, et al. Estimating HIV prevalence and risk behaviors of transgender persons in the United States: a systematic review. AIDS Behav 2008;12(1):1–17. - PubMed
    1. Rapues J, Wilson EC, Packer T, Colfax GN, Raymond HF. Correlates of HIV infection among transfemales, San Francisco, 2010: results from a respondent-driven sampling study. Am J Public Health 2013;103(8):1485–92. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Clements-Nolle K, Marx R, Guzman R, Katz M. HIV prevalence, risk behaviors, health care use, and mental health status of transgender persons: implications for public health intervention. Am J Public Health 2001;91(6):915–21. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kellogg TA, Clements-Nolle K, Dilley J, Katz MH, McFarland W. Incidence of human immunodeficiency virus among male-to-female transgendered persons in San Francisco. Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) 2001;28(4):380–4. - PubMed
    1. Nemoto T, Operario D, Keatley J, Han L, Soma T. HIV risk behaviors among male-to-female transgender persons of color in San Francisco. Am J Public Health 2004;94(7):1193–9. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types