The Politics and Policy of HIV/AIDS Incidence and Mortality
Abstract
As a result of medical and technological advances in the response to HIV/AIDS, in the past five years, the overall number and rate of new HIV diagnoses in the United States has decreased. While this appears to be a success, certain subgroups have seen increases in numbers and rates of diagnoses, disparities exist in populations most affected, and stark differences exist from state to state. Utilizing panel data of the fifty U.S. states from 2004-2016, this research examines the relationships between state- and society-centered political measures, LGBT-protective policies, and HIV/AIDS outcomes. Additionally, LGBT-protective policies are conceptually tested to determine whether they mediate or moderate the relationships between state- and society-centered measures and HIV/AIDS outcomes.
Findings demonstrate that both state- and society-centered political measures are significantly associated with AIDS incidence and mortality yet provide little explanatory power in HIV incidence and mortality. Additionally, LGBT-protective policy is a stronger predictor of HIV/AIDS outcomes than state- and society-centered measures and does not fully mediate the relationship between state- and society-centered factors and HIV/AIDS outcomes, but it does significantly moderate these relationships. Finally, LGBT-protective policies provide greater protection for groups of color compared to Whites.
Citation
Miller, Gabriel H (2020). The Politics and Policy of HIV/AIDS Incidence and Mortality. Doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /192464.