MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep

In 2009, an estimated 27% of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in the United States were attributed to heterosexual contact. During 2006-2007, as part of the data collection for the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System (NHBS), CDC surveyed heterosexuals who lived in urban areas with a high prevalence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and found an overall HIV prevalence of 2.0% and a prevalence of 2.3% among persons with annual household incomes at or below the poverty level and 2.8% among persons with less than a high school education. This report summarizes HIV testing results from the second cycle of NHBS, conducted in 2010, which focused on heterosexual persons with low socioeconomic status (SES) living in areas with high AIDS case rates. The results indicated that HIV prevalence was 2.3% overall and 1.1% among participants who did not report a previous positive HIV test result. Overall, 25.8% of participants had never been tested for HIV until the NHBS survey. Given the high HIV prevalence in this sample, additional research should be conducted to identify culturally appropriate interventions that overcome barriers to HIV testing and increase linkage to care for heterosexuals with low SES in urban areas with high prevalence of AIDS.23486383PMC460482