Why Prevention is Critical Across Health Issues: Using HIV Prevention as a Model

Cynthia A. Gomez, PhDDirector, Health Equity InitiativesSan Francisco State University

CAPS 5th ConferenceApril 21, 2006

Our Declining Health

• Over the past 20 years there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the U.S. with nearly 130 million adults being overweight or obese.

• There are 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7% of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, 6.2 million people (or nearly one-third) are unaware that they have the disease.

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. and 1 in 3 adult men and women has some form of cardiovascular disease.

Unintended Pregnancies

• Unintended pregnancy is a major public health and social problem in the United States.

• Nearly half of the six million pregnancies that occur among American women each year are unintended.

• As a result, American women experience 1.4 million unplanned births and 1.3 million abortions annually.

• They also have one of the highest rates of unintended pregnancy in the industrialized world.

Is Prevention Working?

0

250,000

500,000

750,000

1,000,000 Living with HIV/AIDS

Living with HIV

Living with AIDS

New HIV Cases

HIV Prevention Model

Is it time to expand?

Complexity of Determinants

Genetics

Child-rearing

Opportunities

Social ContextCulture

InterpersonalPhysiology

EconomicsEnvironment

Spiritual

Gender dynamics

Stigma

Current Strategies/Services

Prevention

• Outreach• Pamphlets• Counseling & Testing• Individual/Group

Programs• Media• Community Events

Care & Treatment

• Early Identification• Access to medication• Adherence Tools• Treatment Advocacy• Support Groups

New Directions

• HIV services – do we integrate with other health-related services?

• Do we lead new prevention efforts across health issues?

• Can we become more holistic without loosing our mission?

Email: Drcgomez@sfsu.edu

Tel: 415-405-4350