HIV-positive adults living in rural areas have higher death rates than their HIV-positive peers in other areas of the United States. Why is that? A study from the Medical College of Wisconsin’s (MCW) Center for AIDS Intervention and Research hopes to determine what factors contribute to this statistic.

According to an MCW press release, the study is funded with a two-year $420,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging. Andrew Petroll, MD, MS, is the primary investigator of the study.

Petroll, who is based in Milwaukee, will interview 40 HIV-positive adults older than 50 living in the rural United States. The data will be used to create a survey regarding the factors that affect quality of life. The survey will then be sent to 400 older adults with HIV in rural areas.

This population group faces specific challenges, including transportation, social isolation, increased stigma, and lack of access to expert HIV care and case management.

“We are hopeful that this project will serve as a basis from which to develop interventions to improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities for this population,” Petroll said in the press release.

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On a related note, this year’s POZ 100 will celebrate long-term survivors. Click here for more information or to nominate someone. The POZ 100 will be announced in our December issue.